


Will of the Moon

by littlequietone



Category: Adam Lambert (Musician), Tommy Ratliff (Musician)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Biting, Claiming, Major character death - Freeform, Mpreg, Multi, Were-Creatures, Werecats, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-08-20
Packaged: 2018-05-25 11:25:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 8
Words: 24,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6193190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlequietone/pseuds/littlequietone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy's been told not to go into the forest on the full moon, but he doesn't believe in that bullshit. </p><p>He should have listened. </p><p>(Summaries and shit...)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Whataya Want From Me?

Tommy let out whatever sound you're making when you don't squeal - because Tommy Joe Ratliff sure as hell didn't squeal. Mia's tackle took them both to the ground, and he tried to catch his breath through the laughing as she rubbed her cheek against his chest, right over his sternum. His arms came around her, his best friend in the world, and held her close as she rubbed against him like a cat. "Mia, fuck, you don't need to tackle me to snuggle."

"But you're so hard to pin down, TJ," Mia complained, lifting her chin to look up at him. He smiled back down at her and made her point by wiggling out of her grasp. She pursed her lips and propped her chin up on her arms, looking up at him as he stood up. "I gotta head out anyway," Tommy said, a sliver of guilt going through him at her pouting, even if he knew she was just teasing him. "Pictures to edit and shit."

"You and your pictures," Mia said, but there was pride in her eyes. Tommy Joe had very few things that he loved in his life, and Mia and photography were two of them. Tommy worked a call center, but he loved his camera. He'd take pictures of anything, although he was sure that no one would ever want to buy them or anything. It was just for fun. Lately, he'd been getting into wildlife and nature photography. It was fall now, so the leaves were changing colors, creating beautiful scenery. Tommy only really ever got squirrels and birds, every once in a while he'd get a raccoon or a rabbit, but it was fun all the same. 

"Just stay out of the woods, okay?" Mia said, and Tommy didn't miss the note of sincerity in her voice. "It's the full moon tonight." 

Tommy smiled and crouched down to boop her on the nose. "Oh Mia, you and your superstitions," he teased. But he promised her that he'd stay out of the local woods that night.

It turned out, however, that the promise was impossible to keep. Tommy'd been editing pictures for hours and just happened to glance out the window to see the moon. It was a beautiful harvest moon, huge and golden and low in the sky. The woods in all it's autumn glory would be illuminated perfectly by it. Tommy remembered the promise he'd made to Mia, but the itching in his fingers to grab his camera was just too much, and he couldn't resist. He grabbed the bag and threw on his old chucks. They were ratty and there was more than one hole in them, but they were the best he had on his budget. Soon, out to the woods he went. 

He'd been right, the bright moon shining down on the burning autumn leaves was breathtaking. The problem was, there wasn't any wildlife around. None at all, actually. He didn't hear so much as a chirp as he moved through the woods. He searched for what seemed like hours before plopping down on a stump to take a break, a heavy sigh leaving his lips. Pictures of foliage and landscapes were great, but he wanted animals playing in the moonlight. 

Just when he decided it was time to head home, he heard footsteps in the fallen leaves on the other side of the bushes. He tried to be quiet as he crouched down and held up his camera, peeking through the bushes. His eyes widened when he saw what looked like two wolves frolicking in a small opening. They were both fairly dark and small, one with four white paws while the other was solid. That was as much as Tommy could see in the darkness. But the light from the moon glistened off their fur like starlight, and it made them look like two constellations come to life. Tommy looked through his lens and started snapping pictures, thinking about how lucky he was, how these pictures might actually get him on the map, and didn't even stop to consider the fact that he'd never heard of wolves living in this forest. 

He snapped quite a few pictures too, until he heard a twig snap behind him. Blinking, he turned around, only to find himself nose to nose with a huge wolf. This close, Tommy could see the colors of this wolf. He seemed solid black at first glance, but Tommy could see rivers of caramel color running through his fur, ending up in a striking arrow on his forehead. His eyes were the brightest gold Tommy had ever seen, with flecks of what might have been blue in them if Tommy looked hard enough. He was massive too, all leg and huge clawed feet. And then Tommy's wonder wore off and reality snapped into place, and he sucked in a sharp breath. The wolf slowly pulled back it's lips, baring pearly white teeth that really,  _really_ looked big at this not-distance. 

Tommy's "human brain" didn't seem to be functioning, but his "reptile brain" Mia had always been talking about when she got on her "evolution of the brain" kick was functioning like a champ, and it was screaming _RUN MOTHERFUCKER_. Tommy started to scramble back at breakneck speed, only for the wolf to lunge over and clamp it's jaws down on Tommy's arm. The pain was sharp and immediate, a blossom over his arm. Odd thing was, as soon as the wolf sank his teeth in, he jerked back, his ears pricking forward and his eyes widening. He stared at Tommy in what seemed to be confusion and angry disbelief. His nose twitched and flared, and he ducked his head down to sniff at Tommy's bleeding arm. Tommy made a noise that was too primitive to be called a whimper and tried to move back, but one massive paw on his chest held him in place. The wolf was smelling his arm as if it didn't understand something, before the animal in front of him began to twist. Something happened to it's body that Tommy's eyes picked up on but his brain refused to comprehend, and suddenly Tommy was lifted up and thrown over the shoulder of a beast that could have come out of one of his favorite horror movies. And then they were moving through the forest so fast everything was a blur. 

They came upon a clearing and Tommy twisted when the wolfman slowed down. Barely, he could see they'd ended up at a huge cabin. And not the falling-apart kind of cabin. More like a several hundred thousand dollar masterpiece hidden in the middle of the forest. Tommy gaped at it, his jaw dropping even further when they went inside and he saw that the inside was even more gorgeous than the outside. Tommy didn't come back to reality until the wolfman plopped Tommy down on the ground and threw his head back in an ear-splitting howl. Moments later, his howl was answered. 

It wasn't long before three other wolves ran in, one nearly as dark as the wolf who'd bitten him, and two that were a bit lighter. They took one look at Tommy, and then Tommy's thin hold on reality shattered. Because the four wolves before him turned into humans who were definitely naked. The men didn't both Tommy, he had similar parts, but his instincts insured he didn't look at the woman who seemed to be as old as his mother. Decency, and shit.

"What the hell is going on here, Adam?" the older male hissed, his eyes fixing on the man that used to be the wolfman that used to be the wolf that bit Tommy. "I can smell you on him. What were you thinking? Did you lose control?"

"No!" the dark-haired man said back. He was nearly as breathtaking in human form as he was in wolf form. He was tall and muscular, covered in as many freckles as the stars that littered the sky. His eyes were bright blue, almost fiery so, but they kept flickering with gold every few seconds. His face looked like that of an angel, with a strong jaw and full lips. And then Tommy blinked and focused back on what was being said.

"He smelled like a felidae," the man, Adam, he'd been called, argued. "It was all over him. And he was taking pictures of Isaac and Sophie. I thought he was from the local were-cat clan and was trying to spy on us. It wasn't until I smelled his blood that I knew he was a human!"

"Well that won't be true for long now, will it?" the older man snapped back. 

Tommy watched the four of them argue, understanding nothing but knowing that he had to get out of here. He silently slunk to the side, slowly getting farther and farther away from them without drawing any attention, before bolting towards the door. He made it outside, but their shocked shouts and the sound of feet hitting the floor alerted him to their pursuit and he did the first thing he could think of, climbed the nearest tree. His right arm, the one that had been bitten, was starting to feel a bit numb, but he managed to get pretty high up the tree.

"Get down from there!" Adam snarled up at him in a thunderous voice that had Tommy trembling so hard leaves were falling from the branches he clung to.

"Adam, at this point, yelling isn't going to help," the older male said as he stepped up. Adam ducked his head a bit and stepped back as the man looked up at Tommy. "Why don't you come down from there?" he called up, his voice surprisingly calm. "We're not going to hurt you, okay?"

"You already have!" Tommy called down, his voice breathy from fear and adrenaline. It was meant to sound angry but it came out almost like a whine. 

"It was a misunderstanding," the man said. "But I promise, if you come down here, none of us will harm you further." When Tommy didn't move, he sighed and said. "Look, we're not going anywhere, and you have to come down eventually. Either you can come down of your own accord, or one of us can come up and get you. I can assure you, the latter will be less pleasant for all involved."

Tommy swallowed, but he knew the man was right. There were four of them, they could easily take shifts to watch him. So, he started his decent, with was quite hard because now his right arm was refusing to work at all. When he got to the ground, the two younger men, Adam and the other, grabbed him. They marched him inside with grips that felt like steel and pushed him down into one of the chairs. 

"What were you doing here?" the other younger man said, stepping close to Tommy and exuding such aggression that Tommy felt his heart do a flip in his chest.

"Now now, Neil, back off," the woman said. She went to a closet and grabbed some clothing out of it. Tommy supposed it made sense that they would just have clothing lying around if they changed often. Soon, they were all decent enough that the fire in Tommy's cheeks started to subside. He looked up at them warily, rubbing his arm because it should have been in pain but was really just numb and tingly. 

"Ah, yes, that arm is feeling a bit weird, isn't it?" the older man murmured before clearing his throat and placing a hand on his own chest. "My name is Eber Lambert, this is my... wife, Leila, and our sons Neil and Adam." He gestured to each of them in turn before tilting his head a bit and looking down at Tommy. "What's your name?" 

Tommy didn't answer, he just looked at them. The adults seemed... civil, but Adam and Neil were staring at Tommy like he was a virus or a cancer they had to cut out. There was no way he was giving them anything. He just wanted to go home. 

"Why did you smell like felidae?" Adam asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "Why did you smell like a were-cat?" He seemed a bit less aggressive now, more pissed off at the situation and less pissed off at Tommy. There was a hint of darkness in his blue eyes that might have been guilt, and Tommy wasn't keen on relieving it. The fucker bit him! 

"I don't know," Tommy mumbled. "I don't have any idea what you're talking about." He hunched his shoulders and looked up at them through his fringe. Adam sucked in a breath, his eyes narrowing, but Tommy didn't understand why. 

"It makes sense that he wouldn't know," Leila said after a moment. "He's human. Any were-cat around him wouldn't alert him to their race."

"But why was he taking pictures of Isaac and Sophie?" Neil snapped, throwing out an arm in Tommy's direction as if he couldn't believe how calm they were all being about this. 

"The wolves?" Tommy guessed. "I'm a photographer. I wanted shots of the forest under the light of the full moon, and I stumbled upon them. I thought they were just animals, I swear." Adam groaned and put his face in his hands. 

"Look, I won't tell anyone you're out here, okay? I just want to go home." Tommy was a snarky fucker who wasn't one to grovel, but in this situation, running his mouth may not be the best idea. On top of that, he was starting to not feel very good. He could feel sweat beading on his forehead, making his hair stick to his skin, and his palms were clammy. He couldn't seem to get enough air.

"Well you can't go anywhere in this condition," Leila said softly before moving closer and offering him a hand. "Come on, let's get you to one of the guest rooms where you can lie down." Tommy didn't trust her, but he was quickly deteriorating and right now, a bed sounded really, really good. He reached out and took her hand with his good arm, letting her lead him to one of the rooms on that floor. When she helped him inside, he didn't miss that there were bars over the window or that the door was solid oak. He'd be going nowhere. But the bed looked comfy and his legs were starting to contemplate their purpose, so he let her help him onto the bed. 

"You just rest now," she said softly. "I'll bring you some water." He nodded to her and forlornly watched her go, not missing the click that came after she closed the door. 


	2. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy's got the fever, and not the good kind.

Tommy's arm was burning. It felt like someone had poured lit gasoline into his veins. It only took him seconds after the door clicked closed to realize why. These were werewolves, after all, and something from the movies had to be true, right? Tommy jolted to his feet, a wave of nausea hitting him and making him stumble, grabbing the nightstand for support and nearly knocking over a lamp. He scrambled to catch it, and settled for it falling on the bed because, hell, at least it wasn't broken, and it wasn't on. He spread out his arms, trying to keep his balance as he made his way to the bathroom. He turned on the shower, as hot as he could handle, and stepped in with his clothes on. The water burned, but he just gritted his teeth and grabbed the soap. Fuck, that burned worse in the wound, especially when he started scrubbing as hard as he could, over and over. 

When the door opened and the younger brother, Neil, stepped in with his mother, Tommy was sitting on the bathroom floor, exhausted. The burning in his arm hadn't lessened, in face, it had moved all the way up to his shoulder. Neil raised a brow, and said, "Cleaning it won't work, you know." He moved over to Tommy, seeing the boy tense when he neared him, fear flashing in his eyes. He sighed loudly and knelt down in front of Tommy. "Look, we're not going to hurt you, okay?"   


Tommy worked his jaw, looking at Neil. His vision was spotty, and he could feel sweat running down his forehead, worse than before. Leila clicked her tongue and moved over to Tommy. "The fever will pass," she said softly. "In a few days. You will be pretty miserable during that time, but you will be fine afterward."

"Fine?" Tommy scoffed, voice tight and breathless. "I won't be human anymore. I don't count that as fine." 

Neil made a rough noise that sent a shiver down Tommy's spine and reached out, catching him by his good arm. He hauled him up and started to move him towards the bed, but the abrupt noise made Tommy's stomach lurch, and he gasped, "I-I'm going to be sick!" Neil barely had time to get him to the toilet before he was vomiting, nothing but bile coming out of his empty stomach. Still, he couldn't stop the heaves.

* * *

 

"You should go to him," his mother argued, giving him that look that mothers seemed to all acquire the moment their child was born. It was a mix of expectation and supreme guilt-tripping. Adam's lip curled, but he didn't dare look at her when he did it. He had far too much respect for his mother to do such a thing. 

It had been a full day now that the human had been with them. A full day that Adam had had to sit there and think about the fact that he'd bitten a human. Changed someone. Giving a human the gift of the wolf was something rarely done. Most werewolves were born with the wolf, and a human would only be given the gift under dire circumstances. Usually it was done to save a life, or to a lover that was precious enough to become a mate. Legally, the Council could come after Adam for changing a human against his will. However, given the circumstances, and the fact that Adam was the hair apparent to one of the largest packs in the nation, it was unlikely that they would charge him. 

"I'm quite sure he doesn't want to see me," Adam muttered, knowing he was disappointing both his mother and his wolf. Said wolf was pacing inside him, growling, wanting to go to the newest member of its pack. His father may have still been the Alpha, and would be for some time, but this new boy was Adam's. His wolf wouldn't accept anything less. The wolf world was pretty modern nowadays, but there were still old laws, based on the instincts their wolves still recognized. A wolf was taken into a pack by being marked by the Alpha, a scar they would wear for the rest of their time in that pack. There were ways to break this bond, if needed, but most of the time a wolf was in a certain pack for their entire life. Children were marked when they reached sexual maturity, the old condition for "adulthood". However, if a human was turned, it was a bit different. The first wolf that had claim to that human was the wolf that bit them. Those who turned lovers, or saved humans via the change, generally turned that claim over to the Alpha, due to the fact that having absolute power was difficult for anyone but the Alpha. But Adam was heir apparent... extremely dominant by birth. And his wolf was nearly vibrating with the need to go to what it thought belonged to it. 

"It makes sense that he wouldn't," Leila agreed. "He's angry, terrified, and sick. But you did this, he's your responsibility. You can't hide out here because of a guilty conscience." She raised her eyebrows, looking down at him. Adam squirmed because she was giving him that look again.

Adam leaned his head back and groaned before standing and making his way towards the guest room that the boy was staying in. His wolf whined impatiently, and he tried to pretend it was one hundred percent because of the blood bond they shared. He didn't want to acknowledge the glimmer of heat that went through him when he thought of those pretty eyes, so big and brown and adorned with the sassiest eyebrows Adam had ever seen. The boy was small, blonde, and pretty. He was exactly Adam's type. Adam hadn't realized that until he'd looked up at the boy in the tree. Before then, he'd been too preoccupied with thinking the boy was a spy. But looking up, seeing those eyes looking down at him... yeah. He was royally fucked. 

He unlocked the door and stepped in, nose scrunching at the smell of vomit and bile in the room. It probably wouldn't have bothered a human, but his wolf nose was not enjoying it. The boy was laying in bed, breathing too quickly to be asleep. His eyes opened when Adam shut the door behind him, and they widened in a mixture of fear and rage. 

"Go... away!" he panted, twisting in the sheets in what might have been an effort to get away. By this point in the change, it was normal that his body wasn't working much at all. His very DNA was changing, every cell in his body. 

"It's fine," Adam said, trying to be soothing, because it really did bother him to see the boy in so much pain. "I'm not going to do anything to you." He sat down in one of the chairs in the room. His wolf was whining, wanting to be closer, to touch and comfort. But Adam knew that would go over like a lead balloon. "I'm just here to check on you."

"You say that like you care," the boy snarled, and Adam's eyes flashed, a spike of anger flaring inside him.

"I do care!" he said, voice low and full of emotion. "Turning a human is not some minor thing. Fuck, there are  _laws_..." He ran a hand through his hair, pulling slightly, before dropping it onto the arm chair. "I thought I was protecting my pack. You smelled like a cat. I didn't mean to do anything that would cause..." He gestured vaguely at Tommy before sighing. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I fucked up."

The human glared at him for a few moments before grunting and arching his back, probably trying to fight off one of a thousand muscle cramps. "Fine. Whatever." But he didn't sound so mad anymore, and that gave Adam a bit of relief. 

"I still don't know your name," Adam said softly. "I'm Adam, remember?" He tilted his head a bit and looked at the boy, trying to look endearing. Because he sure as hell would never look harmless. 

The boy worried his bottom lip before saying. "Tommy. I'm Tommy." 

Adam smiled a bit. Tommy was a perfect name for the creature before him. "Hello, Tommy," he said softly, before deciding to try for more information. Since offering his own had worked the first time... "You've met my immediate family. My father, Eber, is in charge. I'm technically second in line, if you don't count my mother, and what kind of son has authority over their mother, honestly..." He let out a nervous laugh. "I... I graduated college with a degree in Business, I like music... my baby brother is a pain in the ass..." The words came out breathlessly, between grunts and little pained noises. 

That got a snort from Tommy that in another situation might have been a laugh. "My mother could kick my scrawny ass in a heartbeat. I... I didn't go to college. I have a sister, but I haven't talked to her in forever..." He arched his back again, squirming, looking uncomfortable for a different reason this time. 

"Do you need something?" Adam offered. He had to get this boy's... he had to get Tommy's trust eventually. Baby steps, he was telling himself. 

Tommy scrunched his nose, and  _fuck_ if that wasn't the cutest thing Adam had ever seen. "I... I gotta pee." He probably hadn't used the bathroom in quite a while. Had he even used it the entire time he was here? Damn, he probably did have to pee. 

Adam stood and moved over to him, ignoring the tension Tommy gained in his shoulders as he watched Adam walk over. Adam kept his eyes as he moved down to help Tommy sit up. He wrapped an arm around Tommy's waist and pulled him to standing, only to see Tommy drag the sheet with him. Any clothing he'd had was covered in blood, and with him sweating so much, it was really useless to give him any more until he completed the first few days of the change. Adam and his kind thought nothing of nudity but Tommy... he was clutching that sheet to his body like a lifeline.

Adam sighed, because he wasn't about to drag a sheet across the room. "Tommy, I'm a werewolf, you don't need that sheet." At the mention, Tommy turned about a hundred shades of red, all the way up to the tips of his ears. He said nothing, and stayed clutching the sheet, holding it tighter, nervously. Adam tried again. "Look, I'm a man too. I know what a male body looks like. But I won't look, okay? I promise." He made a bit of a show of looking towards the bathroom, not Tommy. When he heard the sheet drop to the ground, he relaxed a bit and helped Tommy to the bathroom. He was basically carrying him, but he let Tommy's feet stumble along the ground because he figured the human would enjoy the pretense of having done it at least partially on his own.

Adam sat Tommy down on the toilet and waited... and waited. He let out another breath, leaning his head back before saying. "I've got it, okay? Not looking. But I'm not leaving you either!" He added the last bit as he went to stand by the door to the bathroom. When he heard the sound of Tommy releasing his bladder, his wolf preened a little inside at the idea that Tommy was getting comfortable around him, if only a little. Once Tommy was finished, he moved over and looked down at the boy, seeing the sweat just dripping off his fair skin.

"You need to wash off," Adam stated, moving to turn the tub faucet on. "And calm that fever." He made sure the water was warm enough to be bearable, but cool enough to help his fever. Tommy began to squirm and protest when Adam picked him up, but it fell into a groan when the cool water began to soothe his aching body. 

"Why are you helping me?" Tommy whispered, embarrassed but also too damn tired and sick to care much when Adam began to wash him gently with a wet cloth. 

"You're kind of my responsibility," Adam said wryly. "Since I brought you over. I should have been here all along... but I was a bit of a coward. I felt guilty for biting you."

Tommy pursed his lips, and Adam tried not to stare. Finally, he said, "What's it like? I mean, what will it be like? Will I lose control? Will I still be myself?"

"You'll still be you," Adam assured him. "You'll develop another level of consciousness, but it'll be you. All you. We'll make sure that you're able to control yourself. We'll be here for you, always. Once these first few shitty days are over, it'll be fine." He wiped the sweat off Tommy's brow, pushing a bit of his hair back. 

"Will I be able to have my life?" Tommy asked. "My life. My job. My friends."

"Friends, of course," Adam said. "Once we feel you're ready, which I don't think will take too long." He moved to say more, but Tommy cut him off.

"Oh fuck, my job. I was supposed to be in work today!" He struggled to get out of the bathtub, although Adam wasn't sure exactly where he was trying to go. It was probably more of a panic thing than anything.

"Easy!" Adam barked, putting a hand on Tommy's shoulder and firmly pushing him back down. "I'm sure you can just use sick days-"

"I don't HAVE sick days!" Tommy snapped. His job was that shitty, and ever since he'd told the assistant manager to go fuck himself, he'd been on thin ice. The man had been trying to get in Tommy's pants, after all. And by "get in Tommy's pants" he meant "stick his dirty fucking hand down Tommy's pants without preamble". 

"It's fine," Adam said, putting more force in his voice. "We'll take care of it, okay?"

Tommy's hands clenched. "You can't just tell me what to do. You can't take over my life like this. I didn't ask for this." Anger and hurt and fear were making their ways back into his eyes. More than that, Adam could smell it on him. 

" _Tommy_ ," Adam started, his wolf caught between a need to soothe and a need to make Tommy understand who was in charge here. Disrespect would not be tolerated, especially by someone who was as small at Tommy. Even if the boy was scrappy, size made a difference. 

"Get out," Tommy snapped. "Get Leila in here or something. I don't want to talk to you anymore." His stance was furious, defiant, if he'd been a wolf already, his hair would have been on end.

Adam surged forward, unable to help himself. His hand found it's way around Tommy's neck, pressing him against the tile wall. He didn't choke, just held Tommy there for a second, making sure he knew that Adam could. Adam's breath rushed in and out of flared nostrils for a moment before he was standing, stalking away from Tommy while calling his mother to come help the whelp. He couldn't be around Tommy right now, not with Tommy this fragile and Adam this emotional. 

And fuck if that didn't piss Adam off more. 


	3. Mad World

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things for Tommy change, now that he's a wolf.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it kind of jumps around. Had to get to the good part!

Leila told him it would take three days for him to change. Three days of pain and fever, and then it would be gone. And, for the most part, it was. Except on the fourth day, he was fucking HOT. Not like a fever; his skin and joints didn't ache. But he was burning up, unable to cool himself. Now that he could move on his own, he climbed into the shower and turned on the cold water. He expected steam to rise from his skin immediately, but it didn't. The water just ran down him, washing the sweat away. 

"Tommy?" Leila's voice came from around the corner. She'd heard him climb in the shower, and wanted to make sure he was okay. 

"In here," Tommy called. He couldn't believe he was so comfortable naked in front of these people so soon, but being completely incapable of taking care of himself for three days had really done a number on him. He didn't mind when Eber or Leila saw him naked, or even Neil. Adam... he tried not to let Adam see him naked. Things were weird with Adam. 

Leila walked in and reached out to touch his arm, only to gasp, "Tommy, you're freezing!" She pulled him out of the shower and wrapped a towel around him, despite his protests that he wasn't cold, he was still burning up. The water hadn't helped at all. 

Leila sat him down on the bed, using the towel to dry off his hair, even when he protested. "Let me get Brad," she said. "You should be better by now..." When Tommy's brows knit together, she clarified, "Brad is the pack healer. He deals with all the health issues that are too abnormal for human doctors. Which is pretty much anything, when you're a werewolf." 

"Oh, uh... sure," Tommy said. She hurried off and came back later with a small, beautiful man. He looked to be about mid twenties, with brown hair and big brown eyes. He had more confidence in the set of his shoulders than Tommy had in his entire body. 

"I hear someone's feeling hot," Brad said, pulling up a chair in front of Tommy. He faced it away from him and sat backwards, straddling it and resting his hands on the back. "Like you have a fever?" 

Tommy shook his head, pushing his hair off his face like it was scalding. "No. Shit. No. It doesn't feel like a fever. I'm just hot." 

Brad nodded and went into doctor mode. He took Tommy's vitals, including his temperature. "Well, you're right, you don't have a fever. Your vitals are all perfect. Your body seems to have gone through the change just fine."

"But I'm HOT," Tommy whined, hanging his head. "Fuck, I can't. I can't do this. I feel like I'm on fire."

Brad pursed his lips. "Well, I could give you something to sleep for a couple hours, and we can see how you feel in a bit. Other than that, I'm not inclined to do much more when you seem to be in perfect health, without even a fever." Tommy nodded and accepted the medicine that Brad gave him. It was true, once his dreams took him, he didn't feel the fire anymore. 

* * *

And the next day he felt better. Without any explanation for the odd feeling the day before, Brad declared him fully changed and ready to see the world. "Will I turn into a wolf?" was the first thing that Tommy wanted to know. 

"Not yet," Leila answered. "Not until the next full moon." She smiled down at him as he laced up his shoes. Brad had been able to lend him some, although Tommy had been informed that Neil had gone to retrieve some of Tommy's things. Tommy wasn't allowed to go back to his apartment yet, and he knew trying would end badly. 

Tommy had just finished up when Adam walked through the door, dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a black v-neck shirt. His hair was done, all nice and standing up atop his head, and there was kohl lining his eyes. He looked imposing and beautiful all at once. Tommy huffed as he stood. "What's he doing here?" His voice was low, a growl even from his human lips. He still hadn't forgiven Adam. Adam was the whole reason he was in this mess, anyway. 

"Adam's the wolf that turned you, Tommy," Leila said quietly. "You're his responsibility. He'll show you around, introduce you to the pack."

"Fine," Tommy said, tucking his hands into the pockets of the loose jeans he was wearing. Leila shook her head and gave Adam a long look before leaving the room. Tommy watched her go until he noticed Adam crowding him. The man was a head taller than he was, at least; but there seemed to be something more than size making him imposing. 

"Dude, what the fuck?" Tommy snapped when Adam didn't stop. Adam was like a mountain, lording over him no more than a breath away. Tommy stumbled back, trying to get some space back, but Adam just kept coming. The backs of Tommy's knees hit the bed and he fell back onto it, his butt hitting with a force that made a little "ooph!" come from between his lips. 

Adam leaned over him, his lips curling back a bit as he said. "You need to learn to pick your fights, kid. Trust me, I'm not one you want to pick." He had to get Tommy to see that, because disobedience and disrespect would not fly, not in public. The pack respected Adam as the upcoming Alpha, but their instincts still demanded that the strongest wolf be Alpha. And that meant that Adam had to appear strong and in control, all the time. Sure, everyone would understand why Tommy was being a little ass, having just been turned, but Adam wanted to nip that behavior in the bud right now. 

"Fine, got it, sorry," Tommy said, ducking his head. His words were subservient, but if he'd put anymore "fuck you" into his tone, some might have slouched out the sides. Adam let a growl rip through him, and a bolt of ice went down Tommy's spine. This wasn't like the fear he'd felt in the woods, this was different. A far more submissive feeling, a fear that made him want to cower and beg rather that run. He'd never felt anything like it. 

Adam's nostrils flared, scenting the fear in Tommy and seeing the automatic hunch in Tommy's shoulders. He was making himself smaller, less of a threat to Adam, even if he didn't realize it. It set something in Adam to rest. Tommy would submit to him, his wolf was already there. Tommy might not know his own wolf yet, but it was a step. Adam moved back, giving Tommy some space before offering his hand. "Come on, I'll show you around." He made sure his one was light, not threatening. Having smelled the beginnings of beautiful submission, he was feeling a little more generous. 

Tommy glared at his hand as if he was afraid that, too, would bite him, but eventually he took it. Adam helped him up and lead him outside, into the light. Outside their main house, in the back Tommy hadn't seen, was a large courtyard where members of the pack often gathered. It included picnic tables, a basketball course, and a swimming pool. Adam loved seeing the pack there, especially when it was a beautiful day out.

It was more than a beautiful day for Tommy. The day was exploding. The colors were different, brighter. There was only a handful of people outside but it sounded like so many more to Tommy. It wasn't just their talking he could hear, it was their breathing, their heartbeats, the scratching of a pair of tennis shoes as it hit pavement on the basketball course. It was like being in the middle of a thunderstorm. And the smells, smells that seemed vaguely familiar but Tommy couldn't quite place, and smells that were completely new and overwhelming as they plundered his nose.

It was too much, like standing next to a boom box on full volume. He had to get away. He turned and bolted for the house, only to run straight into Adam, who wrapped his arms around him. Adam looked down at Tommy, at his tightly closed eyes and his little hands over his ears. He pulled him even closer, tucking Tommy into his body. It hadn't occurred to him what new, more powerful senses must be like. Adam had always been able to see everything, hear everything. But for someone who had been human, it must have been a lot to take in. 

"Easy, Tommy, just breathe," Adam said softly, knowing Tommy would still hear him. "It's okay, it'll calm down." He led Tommy over to a more quiet area and sat them down, waiting for Tommy to open his eyes and uncover his ears. 

Eventually, he did. He blinked looking around with squinty eyes, before whispering. "It's like I'm in a rainbow. A really loud rainbow. That smells. Like everything." 

"You'll get used to it," Adam said. "You've been to a concert, right? Remember how it sounds really loud at first, and then an hour in, it's tolerable? It'll just take a little time."

Tommy swallowed and lowered his hands. Adam made small talk with him for a while, watching Tommy's body language, how each muscle slowly relaxed. Finally, the little blonde rolled his shoulders and said more normally. "Does that happen with everyone?"

Adam shook his head. "No, we were all born with senses like this. Only those who start out as human have to adjust like this. The vast majority of werewolves are born, there are only a few bitten, maybe two perfect of the population. We've only had born wolves in our pack before. You're the first bitten."

"You must be in trouble," Tommy said, trying to be conversational. He rubbed his arms, trying to get the feeling of Adam off him. It had all been too much, and then Adam had taken him in his arms and everything had been better. Still too much, but suddenly he could breathe again. There was a part of him that just melted when Adam touched him. He didn't want to think about that right now, so he just decided to ignore it. 

"Yeah..." Adam said slowly. "One of these days, it's going to catch up to me. I broke a huge rule." 

"Why did you do it?" Tommy hadn't asked yet. It'd been five days, and he'd glared daggers at Adam the entire time like he was the devil personified. But it couldn't last... and he wanted to know. Adam pursed his lips, and something in Tommy flickered. He quickly brushed it off as another sense. 

"So we're wolves," Adam said, running a hand through his perfect hair. "Canidae. There are foxes and coyotes too, a few of them, but most are wolves. But there are felidae too, werecats. We're not on good terms with them. Someone you'd been close to that day smelled like one. It could have been a friend, or a coworker, or just someone you bumped into on the street. I smelled it on you and thought you were a cat, spying on us because you were taking pictures. A bite wouldn't have hurt a cat, not really. I... I didn't realize what I was doing." Adam met his eyes, his voice serious when he said, "I'm sorry."

Tommy blinked and found himself saying, "It's understandable. I mean, you thought you were protecting your family." His face flamed a bit when it dawned on him that he'd unintentionally dropped his pouting routine. He cleared his throat, looking away from Adam's surprised face. When his gaze flickered back, Adam was smiling just a bit.

"Well I couldn't stay that mad FOREVER," Tommy stressed, earning a laugh from Adam. Fuck, it was a beautiful laugh, high and clear like a bell, and so full of joy. 

"Adam!" Neil's voice came from the side as he walked up carrying a duffel-bag. Tommy's eyes widened and he grabbed for his stuff. He didn't have a lot in this world, but these were his. His few possessions in the world. He ripped open the bag and right on top was his camera carrier. He pulled it to his chest like it was a liferaft. 

"Someone's happy," Neil commented, before turning to Adam to discuss something Tommy couldn't care less about. Tommy pulled out his best camera and started flipping through it, through the must recent pictures he took, even the ones on that fateful night. He looked through the pictures he hadn't really been able to even see, eventually falling on the ones of the two wolves, when he heard behind him,

"That's gorgeous!"

He turned around and came face to face with a small man, even smaller than himself, with brown hair and big brown eyes. Next to him was a beautiful woman. The man smiled and offered a hand, "I'm Isaac, and this is my wife Sophie. We've been wanting to meet you since we heard."

Tommy blinked down at the man's hand and took it in response. Only then did he remember where he'd heard the names before, and said, "It's you. I mean, you're the wolves in my pictures."

"Bingo," Isaac said happily. "That's us. Sorry to get you in this mess, I mean..."

"No, uh, it's not your fault," Tommy was quick to say. He cleared his throat and continued, "You want to see them? I got some good ones." He quickly turned the camera so they could see it and flip through the pictures.

"Stunning," Sophie said. "These are really good. Can we have some of these? I mean, print outs." She looked up at him with big eyes and Tommy found himself nodding instantly.

"Of course. I mean, they're you guys. I'd be more than happy to print any of them out for you." 

"It's a good thing you caught these then," Isaac said suddenly, smiling wryly, "And not like, thirty minutes later."

"Why?" Tommy asked, only to have his question answered by Sophie's blushing face and Isaac's grinning one. Tommy's eyes widened and he covered his mouth with his hand as the couple broke out into giggles. 

"Okay, kids, leave the newbie alone," Adam said, shooing them off. "I'll make sure you get your pictures." Once they were gone, Adam turned to Tommy and explained, "Isaac and Sophie are our newest mated pair. They are so in love it's disgusting sometimes." He smiled, and it was fond, "Disgustingly adorable, I mean. We all love it, the pack. It's great."

"Mated... like, married?" Tommy asked, trying to understand.

Adam nodded. "Kind of. Same basic principle." He had Tommy stand and moved to introduce him to a few of the pack members, now that he was a little more comfortable. Soon Tommy was surrounded by people who were so excited to meet him.

Once Tommy was distracted, Neil pulled Adam to the side to murmur, "The smell of felidae was all over his apartment, Adam. The cat's close to him, not a stranger. It's got to be one of his friends. We need to keep an eye out." Adam nodded, keeping Neil's gaze. If Tommy had a close relationship with a werecat, things could get really dicey. 

* * *

Tommy wasn't allowed in town yet. Adam told him that the forest was good for him now, and with his senses still so new, the city would be too much. It was also not a good idea for Tommy to be around that many people until his wolf settled in. Tommy didn't like it, but he couldn't defy Eber's orders, much less Adam's. He'd already lost his job, anyways. 

But there was still the matter of his friends, and after much begging, Adam allowed Tommy to use a cell phone, as long as he could supervise the conversation. The first person Tommy called was Mia, of course. It took her a while to pick up, probably because she didn't recognize the number, but when she finally did, the first thing Tommy said was, "I'm okay, Mia."

"OH MY FUCK," Mia screamed, making Tommy yank the phone away from his ear. "Where have you been?! You vanished and then I went to your apartment, and your stuff was gone, and I went to your work and they said you'd been fired... where are you?! Are you okay? Fuck, Tommy, you can't disappear- I swear, if someone has done something to you..."

"I'm fine, Mia, I'm fine," Tommy assured. "Something... came up, and I had to leave for a while. But I'm fine, and I'll be back in a few weeks."

"Something came up?" Mia hissed. "That's the excuse you give me? After disappearing for a fucking week without telling anyone?" 

"Mia, I can't," Tommy tried to reason. "Please? It's personal. Just... trust me, okay?"

"Fine," Mia muttered. "But I want a call everyday, just so I know you're still alive." Tommy agreed, of course, and guided her to safer topics. It was good to hear her voice, to know that something in his life was still stable. Tears filled his eyes, and he quickly blinked them away, trying not to cry in front of Adam. The taller man was not watching him, giving him some pretense of privacy, and for that, Tommy was grateful. 

* * *

 

The pain wasn't unbearable, but it was annoying, and Tommy didn't understand it one bit. He couldn't figure out why it felt like someone had taken a screwdriver to his lower belly. It would vanish for a few hours, then be back, that pain. It was aching and sharp all at the same time, unlike anything Tommy had ever felt before. It'd been just over a couple weeks since he'd arrived now, and he'd gotten fairly comfortable here. But he didn't want to worry Eber or Leila, and didn't really want to think about Adam at all, so he decided to make it over to Brad's place that evening. He knew the layout of the immediate area pretty well, so it wasn't hard to find. 

He hadn't done much the past few weeks. Adam said until after the first full moon, he needed to stay close. If things got messed up before he turned and became one with his wolf, it could have serious consequences. Or so Adam said. Tommy wasn't really happy with Adam right now. They had tentative peace, but everyday Adam would pull this macho " _I'm bigger than you_ " bullshit, and Tommy was getting so the fuck over it. He was not made to just hang out in the middle of a forest. He needed to do things. 

Brad welcomed him in with a smile, and listened attentively. He gave Tommy a general exam before saying, "Basically, I don't know what's wrong with you. It could just be a stomach ache, or another latent change side effect. I'd give you some pain meds, but I don't want to mask anything if it gets worse. Why don't you stay here tonight? I have a few guest rooms and that way I can be nearby if you need anything."

Tommy nodded and Brad moved off to let Leila know Tommy was with him. The pains kept him up for a few hours, but they eventually subsided and Tommy was able to sleep. Brad was right, it was probably just a stomach ache. Tommy'd had them before, even if they'd never felt quite like this. 

Brad came into the room to check on him in the morning, and his nose immediately smelled trouble. Blood, not a ton of it, but enough. He hurried over to Tommy and pulled the covers back, putting his hand on Tommy's shoulder and shaking him to wake him while his eyes searched for the source. Tommy groaned and sat up, muttering, "Fuck, what, I was sleeping?"

"Where are you bleeding, Tommy?" Brad asked, still looking over him, eyes sharp and focused. 

"What the hell are you talking about?" Tommy asked, pushing his hand through his tangled hair to get it out of his face. He shifted, and then he felt it, and uncomfortable soaked feeling, like he was sitting in a puddle. Surely he couldn't have wet himself, he wasn't that sick. He moved to look and saw that it was a dark red stain on the sheets, not a yellow one. 

Tommy's pulse that had been a small drum beat before was now thunder in his ears. He jerked, adrenaline spiking in his blood, only to have Brad grab him, hands on either side of his face. "Tommy. Tommy, look at me. You're okay, it's okay." Brad's eyes were sharp, but no longer afraid. It was a sort of calm intensity, and Tommy latched onto it.

"Brad, I'm bleeding, I'm not fine!" he tried to argue, hands coming up to grab Brad's wrists.

"You're fine," Brad said, voice strong but not harsh. "You're not hurt, Tommy. It's just your period."

Tommy would have sworn his eyes tripped in size. He tried to speak, but only a small squeak came out. He was a guy, he didn't get a period. And Adam hadn't said anything about this.

"I should have realized," Brad said. "I studied it at the citadel, but bitten wolves come along to rarely." He pulled Tommy up, urging him towards the bathroom. "Go get cleaned up, Tommy. It's okay, alright? Everything's going to be fine."

Tommy went and washed off, trying not to think about the sleep pants he'd just ruined or the blood on his hands as he washed. He closed his eyes and focused on the thrum of the water beating down. It soothing, almost like listening to music. When he stepped out of the shower, he'd found that Brad had laid out some clothing for him. Tommy started to dress gratefully until he realized there was a pad already stuck to the underwear. Staring down at it, he heard his pulse start to pick up in his ears again. He leaned his head back and practiced the slow breathing Adam taught him for when everything became to much, and continued dressing. When he came out into the kitchen, Brad already had a cup of coffee waiting for him. Bless Brad.

"So Adam didn't say anything about this," Tommy said, taking the cup and sitting down gingerly. It didn't hurt, it was just weird. He could feel the maxipad between his legs, a constant reminder that he was...  _leaking._

"He wouldn't have known," Brad said. "Only a small group of male wolves get periods." He set down his own coffee cup. "You're an Omega, Tommy. A special kind of wolf. Most Omegas are born wolves, and they start cycling in their teens, whether they are male or female. The first cycle always involves a false heat, where the Omega will ovulate, but not actually become fertile. It's kind of, like a practice run for the body. The fourth day of your change, when you felt hot and weird, but you didn't have a fever, that was your false heat. And now, a few weeks later, you're having your period, just like you should. It's healthy. It's normal. You're of appropriate age, so that's why it started so quickly."

"This is not normal!" Tommy screeched. He looked down quickly, hands tight on his coffee cup. He hadn't meant to shout, but...

"It is, Tommy," Brad urged. "For an Omega. We didn't know you were an Omega, you haven't shifted yet. We haven't met your wolf." He took a few deep, calming breaths, and Tommy found himself mimicking them. It helped. 

"So will I... will I get my period every month now?" Tommy swallowed. Mia had always complained, and Tommy had always been sympathetic, but imagining this every month was mindboggling, especially when he hadn't been prepared. 

"No," Brad said easily. "Omegas only cycle twice a year, with the exception of the first false heat. Now that you've had it, you'll start cycling normally, once every six months." 

"When will it start?" Tommy was trying to find appropriate questions past the screaming in his head. At least the cramps had stopped. For now.

"There's really no way to know for sure," Brad said. "Heats happen on the full moons, but it can be anywhere between the first full moon after the false heat to the fourth."

Tommy's hear jerked up. "First? You mean like, two weeks from now I might have to go through this again? What the hell am I cycling for anyway? Surely there are enough girls for the species!"

"Yes, there are," Brad agreed. "But Omegas are special. Babies born from Omegas are stronger, faster... Omegas are made to carry the children of Alphas, when the Alphas can manage to find one." Brad was being very patient and calming with him, and Tommy was glad because if he hadn't been, he was sure he would have been screaming.

Tommy's brow furrowed. "Eber's our Alpha. But he's with Leila, so he can't be with me." Tommy knew enough about wolf mating now to know it was almost always monogamous. 

"It wouldn't be Eber, he's already mated. It would be the next Alpha." Brad took another sip of his drink. "It would be Adam."

Tommy felt something inside him go cold.

"No."

 


	4. Welcome To The Show

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy has to deal with his period, and finds out something interesting about Mia!

Tommy sat on the couch in the Lambert house, pretending he was anywhere but fucking there. Eber and Leila were in the kitchen talking about him like he wasn't fucking there, so he figured, if they were going to pretend, he could too. Even Adam and Neil had been roped into the conversation. Brad had apologized profusely, but explained that it was his duty to inform the Alpha about Tommy. Tommy might have gotten more angry about it if Brad hadn't pointed out the fact that any wolf with a working nose was going to smell him from a mile away. Because apparently, being on his period wasn't bad enough by itself. Damn wolf hypersenses.

Tommy stared down at his knees until a pair of black boots appeared in front of him. He looked up, seeing it was Adam through his fringe. Tommy proceeded to give him the most impressive sneer he could, considering pairing it would double middle fingers, but holding that back because Adam might try that macho shit again, and that was the last thing Tommy wanted right now. Adam's brows raised, but he remained quiet as he sat down next to Tommy.

Fuck, an Omega, this was the last thing Adam had expected. If Adam's wolf wanted him before, it was nothing compared to now. Adam was trying to remind himself that, as pretty as Tommy was, he was an annoying little shit that Adam really had no business trying to get cozy with, especially since he'd had no business turning him in the first place. But his wolf didn't give a flying fuck about any of that, it was whispering in Adam's ear about how gorgeous Tommy was, how strong he was, just like Adam wanted. About how strong their babies would be, and how pretty Tommy would look in his heat, all wet and needy and open and...

Adam gave his head a shake, because Tommy was a person and Adam wasn't a fucking mindless pair of testicles. "How are you doing?" he asked, trying to keep his voice free of anything that might be taken as more than friendly interest.

Tommy opened his mouth to give Adam an earful, and immediately thought better of it. He could at least give Adam a chance, he supposed. "I feel like there's a meat grinder in my belly." The cramps were back. He'd been given some pain relievers now, but Brad had warned him that they might not work so well. It seemed they hadn't.

Adam made a face that had enough sympathy in it that Tommy didn't automatically snap. "Is there anything I can get you?"

Tommy shrugged and looked back down at his knees. "I'm alright. Girls do this every month, right? I should stop acting like a baby and just deal with it."

"I think you're allowed some bitching after the month you've had," Adam said softly. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It wasn't supposed to go like this."

"You're telling me," Tommy replied. He glanced at the kitchen, hearing the voices but not really listening to them. "Guess they're deciding my fate, huh?"

"It's not really for them to decide," Adam said, following Tommy's gaze. "You belong to me, not Dad." When Tommy looked back at him with wide eyes, Adam quickly clarified, "Not that I would force you into something, Tommy. As much of an asshole as I've been... please, you have to believe I'm not a rapist."

"So what's going to happen to me, then?" Tommy asked softly. "Brad seemed pretty... he acted like this was a really big deal."

"It is a really big deal," Adam agreed. "Omegas are rare, and even if you don't get... even if you don't find a partner here," Adam started, being careful about his wording, "It causes all sort of policital pressures. The easiest option would be for you to find a partner here, but if you don't, people are going to want you. There will be suitors, and some of them might be more pushy than others."

"By 'find a partner here', you mean you, don't you?" Tommy held Adam's gaze. They were going to talk about this like a pair of adults, damn it. He didn't even blush.

Adam sighed. "That's what everyone will expect. Like I said, I'm not a rapist, but having you be with someone else here would also cause issues. Word of what you are will travel fast. It'd be safer for you to be mated, and to someone strong. On top of that, I'm sure there are other males here who'd want you, but werewolf politics being what they are, I have first go at you..."

"Wait," Tommy butted in. "Males? Couldn't I just be with a girl?" When Adam looked confused, the blood rushed to Tommy's cheeks, and he exclaimed, "I'm straight, damnit!"

"Oh honey..." Adam pulled his bottom lip in and chewed on it. "You were straight. You might still like girls now, but chemical changes would have occurred in your brain already... half the reason you'll need to be mated to someone strong is because you'll want it so badly. If you didn't like dick before, you're definitely going to like it now."

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Tommy screeched, causing the talking in the kitchen to cease. Adam glanced towards the door before taking Tommy's arm and pulling him upstairs. Tommy couldn't break free until they had made it to his makeshift room, and Adam let him go. "You mean my entire sexuality is going to change?! You can't be serious!"

"There's not a lot of literature on bitten Omegas," Adam said. "And the few recorded stories don't mention prior sexuality. But there's no record of an Omega ever choosing a female when they were in heat. They always seek out males."

Tommy felt tears suddenly burning his eyes, running down his cheeks in scalding little lava rivers. It wasn't that he thought being gay or bi or whatever was bad, but this was his life and who he was and he couldn't imagine it turned on it's head. The first sob came out as a hiccup, and then they were breaking out of him, fueled by a river of anxiety over this whole thing, these whole past two weeks. No more than three cries got out before Adam was folding Tommy into his arms, a tight circle of heat and a smell that made Tommy think of home, whatever the fuck that was.

"It's going to be okay," Adam said, one big hand coming up to rest on the back of Tommy's head. "You're still you, okay, Tommy?" Somehow, he knew exactly what to say, and it almost pissed Tommy off. Like he could just read Tommy's mind and see every worry about not being himself anymore, about losing an integral part of his identity. Tommy the human was gone, Tommy the independent little angsty call center worker was gone, and now Tommy the straight boy who loved a good pair of tits might be gone too. Tommy couldn't help but reach up and curl his fingers in Adam's shirt, holding on.

"How can I still be me?" he whispered, voice like sandpaper in his throat. "I'm not even the same THING anymore, and now I won't like the same things either?" He didn't know why he was telling Adam this, except that those were Adam's arms around him and he smelled like safety, whatever that meant.

"You're still you," Adam pressed, "You still love photography, and your blonde hair, and Mia, and being a sassy little brat. You're still you, Tommy. It's all going to be alright."

Tommy clung to him and just let himself be held. It'd been so long since he'd been held like this, especially by anyone but Mia. It was like Tommy as swallowed up for a second, cocooned where the world couldn't get to him, and he could almost forget the ache in his body and the trials of what was to come. So, he was telling himself, that was the only reason he snuggled in deeper, pressed his face into Adam's broad chest. 

"Let's go see Mia," Adam said suddenly. "I know you're missing her." Tommy's head jerked up, red eyes wide, and there was such hope in them that Adam felt a part of his heart break. He reminded himself that he couldn't just start falling for this boy, even if fate seemed to be pushing them together. 

"I'll be with you, so it should be fine," Adam said. He smiled down at Tommy. 

And that was how they ended up in the city the next day, on their way to meet Mia at the park. The park was not really Tommy's kind of place, not when he didn't have his camera with him, but Adam had insisted that deep in the city would not be a good place. And he'd been right, as soon as they'd stepped into the city, it'd been like his senses were on hyperdrive all over again. There were lights fucking  _everywhere._ There were sounds and smells and none of them were the good ones like in the forest. The city smelled like shit and decay, and Tommy just about bolted when they stepped out of the car (which had been an experience in and of itself, not that Tommy had the urge to stick his head out of the window or anything). 

"It's alright," Adam said, taking Tommy's hand. That was all he had to do, and Tommy felt eons better. He wasn't sure why, but right now, he wasn't complaining. They managed to make it to the park without Tommy crawling out of his own skin. Mia was already there waiting, sitting at one of the picnic tables. She and Tommy locked eyes, and both stood, running to each other. Tommy had made it about five steps before Adam's arms wrapped around his middle and  _picked him off the fucking ground._ Tommy didn't have time to yelp before a snarl erupted out of Adam, right next to Tommy's ear.

And like, what the fuck was that shit, Adam doing that in public when he had given Tommy a half our lecture on acting normal. But then Mia jerked down, her lips peeling back and a hiss rattling out of her chest, and Tommy's world shifted on it's axis because this was Mia. "Adam!" Tommy cried out, struggling against his hold. His fingers dug into Adam's arm like the claws he didn't have yet, and apparently the claws Mia had because she was staring at them with wide green eyes with slitted pupils.

"Tommy?" Mia called. "What's going on?" She hadn't moved closer, and Adam hadn't stopped making that low growling noise. 

"Adam!" Tommy called again. "It's Mia, let me go, damnit!"

"It's her, Tommy," Adam snarled. "She's the werecat I smelled on you."

Tommy blinked and stared over at Mia, and couldn't deny it. Even he could smell it, a different scent than all the humans here. Sharper, somehow, and not as rich as Adam's. And then something snapped and he turned, sinking his blunt teeth into Adam's shoulder. Adam made a noise of surprise and loosened his grip just long enough for Tommy to squirm free and hurry out of distance. He stopped about ten feet in front of Mia, fast little breaths coming out of his chest. "Mia...?"

"Tommy," Mia whispered. "What happened to you? You're..." She tilted her head back and took a whiff, holding her mouth open as she did. It was the most foreign thing, seeing his best friend who he'd known as human all his life suddenly acting so primal. "You're a _wolf_?" Her gaze shifted to Adam and flared super nova bright with anger. "You did this?!"

"Because he was in the forest on the full moon!" Adam snapped, moving closer to Tommy. "And he smelled like a fucking werecat! I thought he was one of your spies!" Mia hissed loudly, taking a step forward.

" _Okay, assfaces!"_ Tommy snapped, looking between both of them. "We are in a  _public place_ , and you two are going to act like the people I know you are, or so help me, I will not speak to either of you again. Because I am so sick of this animal shit. One of you I will apparently never get out of my life, and the other is one of the most loved parts of my life. So put your claws away and act like motherfucking  _adults._ " 

Adam huffed and looked at Mia, who slowly moved out of her crouch. Tommy ended up sitting on the bench, with Mia sitting next to him and Adam standing. Mia threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder and rubbing her cheek against him. At least that hadn't changed. "Fuck, Tommy, I missed you so much. So that's where you've been, with the wolves?" She whined and hugged him closer, only to suddenly pull back, her mouth held open again, inhaling. "Are you bleeding?"

Tommy felt his face flame scarlett. He pushed Mia back just a bit as she leaned in to get another sniff. "Yeah. But I'm okay."

"You're not okay if you're  _bleeding_ ," Mia stressed, hands reaching out for him. 

"He's an Omega," Adam chimed in, seeing Tommy's hesitation at answering. It wasn't like she wouldn't find out eventually. "He's on his period?"

"WHAT?!" Mia's head whipped back around to face Tommy, who hunched his shoulders and shook his hair down, hiding behind it.

"Please, Mia, I don't want to talk about it," Tommy said softly. "It's all we've  _been_ talking about recently."

Mia took a breath and pushed it out her nose before nodding. So they talked about other things, and it felt so good. Tommy told her about what had happened on the full moon, and how the pack had taken him in. He told her everything, glossing over only the parts that made Adam clear his throat. Mia told him a little about being a werecat, although the looks she was giving Adam told Tommy that it was more about not wanting Adam to know. She wouldn't tell him what kind of werecat she was, and Tommy didn't press. He was just glad to have her here, in his arms, the last little bit of home he still had. 

They talked for hours, until the sun went down, and Adam had to say, "Tommy, we gotta go back. It's getting late."

Tommy pouted, not wanting to leave, and Mia chuckled. "You're still the same, Tommy Joe."

"Tommy  _Joe_?" Adam's voice held just as much delight as his eyes. "That's even cuter. Shit. Tommy Joe." 

Tommy groaned, closing his eyes. "Thanks, Mia." 

"No worries, TJ," Mia said with a smile. She looked up at Adam, pointing a very serious finger at him. "You'd better get my body a cell phone, because I am not letting go og him just because he's gonna drool over everything now."

"I am not gonna drool over everything!" Tommy exclaimed, shoving Mia lightly. He got up and started moving off, deciding to give Adam and Mia a moment alone, because they were moving close to each other and looked like they needed it. 

"I know who you are, Alpha-to-be," Mia said in a whisper, although she managed to keep a sneer out of her voice because this guy had brought her Tommy to see her. "If Tommy says the biting was an accident, I believe him, but you'd better take damn good care of my boy."

"I intend to," Adam said back, standing tall. 

"Do you intend to breed him?" Mia challenged, keeping Adam's gaze.

Adam paused. "I don't have any illusions that he'll never be bred, and I have first claim," he seceded. "But I don't intend to tie him down and force myself on him."

"You won't have to, and that's just as bad," Mia sneered. "When he goes into heat, he'll seek out any male he can find."

"He'll seek out the strongest male," Adam clarified. 

"Which is you." Mia poked Adam in the chest with her finger.

"I'm going to take care of him," Adam snarled softly, flicking Mia's hand away. "And not because he's some magical broodmare, but because he's a person who deserves being taken care of."

"You'd better," Mia mumbled. She looked at Tommy's retreating back, eyes filled with worry. "He needs it." 


	5. Underneath

Tommy's period ended, just like it was supposed to, and for that he was ecstatic. For the first time in a week, he felt clean again. It didn't matter that he had washed religiously, or that he'd changed his "necessities" often, he'd just felt dirty the entire time. Now, one day and one long, hot shower later, he felt like a person again. At least, until the next full moon in a week, during which the whole cycle might start over again, if he went into heat. Real heat this time. Like where he could get pregnant. Like where he would  _want_ to. Not to mention the fact that he was going to turn into a wolf. 

"It is going to hurt?" Tommy asked suddenly, looking up from his food. Adam had dragged him out to a picnic for lunch that day with Isaac and Sophie. Not that Tommy minded, he liked the couple. 

Adam looked up. "Is what going to hurt?" He took a bite from his sandwich, which consisted of meat and a surprising amount of vegetables. Tommy didn't understand how a wolf so big ate so much rabbit food.

"Turning into a wolf." Tommy waved his hands in the air, looking around at the three with wide eyes.

"Uh..." Isaac glanced at Adam. "We all started changing as babies, so we got used to it early, but..."

Adam set his sandwich down. "It's going to hurt." When Tommy clearly started to freak out, Adam hurried to say, "But it won't be unbearable, Tommy. And we'll all be there for you. I've been reading up on bitten wolves, and it seems that the first time is the worst, because your body is so fully developed, not pliable like a child's. But after the first time, it's not so bad."

"But like." Tommy couldn't seem to stop waving his hands. He put them down on the table with a little more force than he intended, hoping they would hold still. "What's going to happen? How long will it take? Will it happen like a monster movie, where you twist and writhe?" Tommy had enough horror characters tattooed on his arms to have seen all the very bad vampire movies, and they were not encouraging. 

Adam just sighed and shook his head. Anxiety was not going to help Tommy give into the wolf during the full moon. He needed to calm Tommy down about this, and he knew the best way. 

The next day, he woke Tommy early, when the morning was still covered in fog and dew. Tommy complained about being dragged out into the woods so early. Basically, anything before ten was only known to the blonde as ass o'clock in the morning. Did people actually  _choose_ to get up this early? Tommy had only ever done it when he was forced by his job. 

"Where are we going, Adam?" Tommy whined, following behind him in beat up old Chucks that really had no place in the woods. 

"I want to show you something," was all Adam said. He led Tommy to a small clearing before stopping. Tommy didn't really understand what was going on, especially when Adam started stripping.

"Adam, the fuck!" Tommy snapped, quickly turning away, a blush crossing his face. It didn't matter that he'd seen Adam before. Knowing that Adam was basically his betrothed had thrown a wrench into their whole tentative friendship. Adam didn't seem to know what to do with Tommy, and Tommy  _definitely_ didn't know what to do with Adam. 

"Look, Tommy Joe, you're a werewolf now. You're going to have to get used to nudity eventually. It doesn't have to be sexual, it's just natural." There he went again, calling him Tommy Joe. It made something low in his belly flutter, more potent now that Tommy couldn't see anything but miles and miles of soft, freckled skin laid over hard muscle. Except that, what the  _fuck_ , Adam was a guy. Tommy had never looked at a guy like this before. But he made himself at least look at Adam's face, knowing that the Alpha wouldn't be satisfied until Tommy looked at him somewhere. 

"Just watch and see what the change is like," Adam said softly, offering a gentle smile. He started to move like he was going to fall to his hands and knees, and somewhere along the way he began to change. It was like watching bubbles rise to the surface of water, inevitable but not violent. There was no twisting and wrenching. It all seemed to happen at once, Adam's face lengthening and sprouting fur, and before Tommy knew it, the same black and gold wolf he'd seen that first night was standing before him. This time he was able to really watch the change, absorb it with his eyes. 

Tommy sucked in a breath, fighting a moment of panic at the memory of pain and fear. Adam's nostrils flared, and he whined, dropping his head down and wagging his tail. His tongue lolled out to the side as he opened his mouth in a toothy grin, and some of Tommy's fear bled away. He sat down on a nearby log and held his hands out, offering. Adam was more than happy to move into them. letting Tommy run his hands through his thick fur. Now that he wasn't afraid for his fucking life, Tommy had to admit this was pretty cool. Adam was a huge wolf, and with each movement he made, Tommy could feel the power. But he was also goofy, twisting his head until Tommy's hands were just where he wanted them, and then panting happily. 

"You just wanted me to scratch your head," Tommy accused with a huff that might have been mistaken for a laugh. Adam's fur turned silkier, and suddenly he was a man kneeling before Tommy, not a wolf. 

"I will never turn down an offer to get my head scratched, or rubbed," Adam said with a wicked grin, full of teeth that weren't quite as blunt as a human's would be. 

"That night, you turned into a wolfman, somewhere in between," Tommy commented, his hands falling into his lap as Adam moved to get dressed. 

"It's all about control," Adam said. "Once you practice, you'll find that there are different levels of the wolf you can let out. The wolfman is kind of in the middle. But in human form, if your emotions get the better of you, you can start to change form a little without going very far. You might get claws, or teeth. If you get really good, you can decide which small parts of your body change." 

"It didn't look like you were in pain," Tommy said softly. "You looked peaceful."

"It just feel like stretching to me now," Adam replied, putting his shirt on last. Once that body was covered, Tommy was much more comfortable. He didn't want to think about why. "Why" belonged in a tiny little box in Tommy's mind that he was going to lock and forget where the key went. "Eventually, that's all it will feel like to you." 

"What happens if I go into heat?" Tommy whispered, asking that horrifying question that was on his mind. Ignoring that question was not something he could do, not with the moon only a week away. 

Adam was quiet for a moment, as he moved to sit next to Tommy. "During a heat cycle, the change happens first, and then heat begins in the early hours of the morning and lasts a couple days. We won't know until then if it's going to happen at all. Luckily, that will allow us to get your change out of the way without interference. If you do go into heat..." Adam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Tommy, I know you don't want me. If you go into heat, I'll lock you in your room, and guard the door. I won't touch you, and no one here will dare to go against me." He lifted his head and offered Tommy a smile. "Even if you come to me, I won't do anything to you."

Tommy's shoulders slumped as what seemed to be the weight of the world lifted off them. He looked at Adam, opening his mouth and closing it again. He wanted to thank him, but it sounded weird, to thank Adam for something that was a basic human right but apparently wasn't a basic Omega right. Adam just reached out a ruffled his hair, cutting the tension so easily. It was moments like that that made Tommy think he and Adam could be really close some days. Omega and Alpha or not, biter and bitten or not, Adam just got Tommy sometimes. He hoped it would get even better.

* * *

The day came faster than Tommy was expecting. Adam had taken him to see Mia a couple times during the week, to keep him relaxed. He and Mia still didn't get along, but they were pleasant to each other, and that was enough for Tommy right now. Adam even cracked a joke to two, and Mia smiled in response. It could have been worse. Based on the old texts that Brad had given Tommy on werecreatures, it could have been a lot worse. 

But now it was the morning before the full moon, and Tommy was anxious. Leila had sent him to see Brad, who gave him this nasty ass herbal drink that was supposed to help with the change. Shit tasted like watered down horse manure, but he'd managed to down it. He'd woken up a few mornings after drinking where his own mouth had tasted worse, so it wasn't horrible. 

His muscles started to cramp in the afternoon, and he went to lay out in the sun, hoping the heat would help soothe them. Brad had warned him that it might happen, and that there was really nothing he could take for it that wouldn't hinder the change later, so he was stuck with other remedies. He'd almost convinced himself that the sunlight was working, when the coolness of a shadow fell over him. He opened his eyes to see Adam, and groaned. "I was using that."

Adam quirked a brow, his mouth twisting in a smirk that made Tommy's insides twist in response. He offered his hand, and said in a voice so low and rumbling that Tommy swore it shook the ground, "I'll make it better."

Tommy swallowed with sudden difficulty and took Adam's hand, letting Adam pull him up. The Alpha took him back to the Lambert home, into Adam's room and through it into the bathroom. It was a huge bathroom, with a shower that could fit six people and a huge tub to match. It was extravagant, but classy, like the man that Tommy was getting to know. Adam started running the tub with hot, steaming water, and poured a large amount of what smelled like salt into it. Epsom salts, he explained, before asking Tommy to strip down. 

Tommy shoved his hands into his pockets and tucked his chin down, glaring up at Adam. "I'll dress and get in when you leave."

Adam raised a brow and walked over to him. This time, Tommy refused to back up, holding his ground, even though his head moved lower and lower. Adam put his hands on Tommy's sides, saying softly, "Tommy Joe, I know what you look like naked." He grabbed the hem of Tommy's shirt gently in his hands, and started to pull it up slowly. Tommy swallowed and surprised himself by lifting his head, letting Adam take his shirt off. He quickly stepped back and undid his own pants, because letting Adam anywhere near his pants was not going to happen. When he looked back up, he was shocked to see Adam was undressing too.

"I'm capable of bathing by myself, furface," Tommy said, his snark coming out only a little bit wobbly. Naked Tommy was one thing. Naked Adam was one thing. Naked Tommy and naked Adam in a bathtub together was a whole fucking different level of  _holy shit._  

"I'm the wolf that bit you," Adam said patiently as he climbed into the tub. "We're connected. Having skin-to-skin contact with me will help soothe the ache you're going through. It will make it easier. The bath and salts are just a bonus."

Tommy's lip curled in a scowl. "This better not be some complicated plot to get me naked." He moved over and climbed into the tub, trying not to put his skinny little not-ass in Adam's face, but it was kind of inevitable. As soon as he hit the water, Adam wrapped an arm around his waist and tugging him back against his chest, that big, hard, beautiful chest. He yelped and flailed, splashing water all over the tile floor, but Adam just help tightly.

"Calm down, Tommy!" he snapped. "You're not a damn child." 

Tommy grunted before slumping in his arms, ignoring Adam's huff of relief. They sat like that for about ten minutes, and already, Tommy could feel his muscles loosening happily. "That's so unfair," he muttered. "The last person I want to touch is my fucking antidote."

"That's usually how it is," Adam said conversationally. 

They sat there in suddenly more peaceful silence, Tommy relaxing and enjoying the feeling of the water sucking away all the aches and pains. It was nice to not have anything to worry about for a second, to just relax and feel. To feel the water, and Adam's back against him. Adam's legs framing his body, bent up and to his sides, his strong arms, like tree branches, wrapped just tightly enough around Tommy's middle. If he leaned his head back, there was Adam's shoulder, ready to support it. And if he turned his head to the side, there was Adam's neck, covered in that spicy, rich scent that Adam had. Tommy couldn't help but press into Adam's neck, inhaling deeply behind his ear, basking in the smell of  _safe_ and  _home_ and  _Alpha_ , all around him and only for him. 

Tommy became aware of what he was doing about the same time he became aware of the throbbing cock between his legs, standing happily beneath the water and begging to be touched by those hands that were wrapped so securely around his waist. He jerked, his hands scraping against the walls of the bathtub as he tried to get away, but Adam tightened his grip and pressed his lips against Tommy's ear. 

"It's okay! It's okay, Tommy Joe. Just breathe. Nothing's going to happen, it's okay."

"You're a guy," Tommy croaked, throat dry. Adam was a fucking man, there was no hiding it, not with his chest pressed against Tommy's back, bigger than his own, and the hard, scalding wood Tommy felt against his back that he refused to acknowledge.

"I know, baby," Adam whispered, like an apology.  

* * *

This was it. The sun was setting, and the moon was rising. The whole pack had gathered outside, about thirty wolves, standing around the Lambert estate, ready to run as a pack. They were all wearing only their skin, just as Adam had encouraged Tommy to do. Walking around a bunch of other people in his birthday suit was just flatout weird. He expected staring, the kind of looks he would get if he were walking around the city with his bare-ass junk hanging out. Oh, he got plenty of looks, but mostly just curious ones. 

It wasn't long before he bumped into Isaac and Sophie, who were more than happy to talk to him. Tommy tried to keep up a conversation, but he couldn't really figure out where to put his eyes because Sophie was just standing there, naked as the day she was born. Isaac noticed his dilemma and wasn't shy about laughing at it.

"Dude, like, it's your  _wife,_ " Tommy said, his own laugh escaping.

"I know," Isaac said, a wicked grin covering his face. "Ain't she pretty? You can look, but no touchie."

Tommy grinned, suddenly feeling better. Somehow, acknowledging the awkwardness made it more bearable. He looked over the crowd, eyes falling on Adam who was the center of attention. He saw Brad walked over to him, talking to him happily. They were comfortable with each other, moreso than Tommy had seen Adam be with anyone else. They touched each other, little brushes here and there that weren't sexual but were so relaxed, like it was habit. 

"Brad and Adam used to be a thing," Isaac supplied, seeing Tommy's confusion. "They aren't anymore, but they're still great friends." Tommy nodded, stomach twisting a bit. But he didn't have time to think about it, because the sun was almost down and suddenly there was another twisting in Tommy's body, an ache that was insistent and growing by the minute. 

"Easy." Adam was suddenly by Tommy's side. "It's going to happen quickly, once you let it. You'll feel another part of you trying to push to the surface, and you need to let him. He's your wolf, a part of you. Different, but still you."

"What if I can't do it?" Tommy whispered, looking at Adam with large eyes. "What if I'm bad at it."

Adam grinned, and it was all teeth and moonlight. "Impossible."

The changed washed over Tommy like a tsunami, bowing his spine and making him fall to the ground. It felt like a charlie horse, all over his body. He wanted to curl up and block it out, and he almost did, but he remembered Adam's words, telling him to let it go. He took and deep breath, and pushed it out, relaxing. His body contracted in a sharp pain that made him cry out, and then it was draining out of him, flooding into the ground that he was suddenly aware of in a whole different way. He was standing, looking around at the wolves around him, and he could feel them, hear them like background music in his head. He could hear and smell everything, but now he wanted to know, he wanted to chase and  _hunt_ and  _run._  It was like he was watching a movie, there but not in control, feeling everything but not in charge. Like he was a passenger in a car. 

Adam watched as the wolf woke, looking around and jumping, feeling the strength in it's body for the first time, and it was the most beautiful thing Adam had ever seen. Tommy was a rich amber brown with bright blonde highlights in the moonlight, just like his eyes that Adam couldn't stop thinking of. He was small, just like the man, just wiry and quick. He darted around, the embodiment of pure glee, sniffing and yapping at his family, his pack. He stopped in front of Adam, golden eyes wide and wild. Adam watched as he sunk to the ground, wagging his tail and licking at Adam's snout, the picture of submission. Adam growled happily and snapped, gently catching Tommy's muzzle in his mouth and giving it a squeeze. Tommy whined, holding still until Eber came and stepped over him, hair on end, aserting his own dominance. For a moment, tension stretched out in the pack, ready to snap, ready to see if Adam would let Eber. But it dissolved when Adam wagged his tail and lowered his head. Another moment of peace, for now. 

Adam had never felt so complete, running with his family surrounding him and Tommy darting this way and that, exploring a world he'd never seen before. The wolf in Adam wanted to chase and nip at that fluffy tail, so he did. The two rolled in the moonlight and played, and it was perfection. 

When Tommy shuddered into human form, laying on the ground between Isaac and Adam, he was laughing breathlessly, coming down from a high he'd never thought he could reach. Brad sat up from the other side of Adam and leaned over the Alpha, raising an eyebrow at Tommy. "How do you feel?"

"Great," Tommy heaved. "Perfect. Alive, and so, so tired."

"Welp, doesn't seem like you're going into heat this time around." He flopped back down, landing on Adam's chest, causing the Alpha to huff and push at him. 

"Thank the moon," Tommy said, adding a little emphasis to his harmless mimicry of how the pack spoke. The wolves around him roared their own endorphin-fuel laughter, Adam's voice climbing above the rest. 

 


	6. Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pack pays the consequences for having an unmated Omega.

The tacos were fucking _good_. The kind made by people who actually care, with recipes created by people who actually know how food works and how to put tastes together. Tommy hadn't had something this delicious in his mouth in a long time, not since he'd been surviving off ramen with his call center job, or even at the Lambert estate. Leave it to Adam to know where the best Mexican place in town was, when he didn't even really like Mexican himself. Somehow, he'd known that Tommy had loved it.

The movie was good too, a theatre screening of the original Nosferatu, in new comfortable seats that reclined and had a footrest.  _Get whatever snacks you want,_ Adam had said. So Tommy had ordered the biggest drink he could, even though he knew he couldn't finish it, because fuck Adam and his fucking money. Fuck Adam for taking him on a date that wasn't the least bit miserable, and was so much better than any of the dates he'd been on in the past couple years. 

"You smell red," Adam said finally as they were driving home. After trying to pry a few comments out of Tommy before the movie, he'd shut up until now. "You've been angry since dinner. Why? Didn't you enjoy the food?"

Tommy slouched in his seat, arms crossed over his chest. He stared out the window at the setting sun, hating it for being so beautiful. "The tacos were great," he replied curtly. 

"And the movie, you have the bad guy tattooed on your arm. Didn't you enjoy that?" Adam pressed.

"Yes." Tommy spit out his one word answer at the rainbow of colors painting the sky, as if the universe was trying to make the night even more perfect.

"Then why are you upset?" Adam's tone was carefully patient, but Tommy could smell him starting to get mad too. Little tendrils of a thick scent that coated his nose. 

"Did Brad tell you to take me to dinner and a movie first, or was it Isaac?" Tommy sneered, not looking at Adam. "Isaac works in the city, he probably knows human customs for a polite night before you fuck someone."

The car screeched onto the shoulder so quickly that Tommy almost ate dashboard. Bracing his hands against it, he whipped his head around to look at Adam. But when their eyes caught, it was Tommy that dropped his gaze, looking away from the golden eyes that stared back at him. "Get out of the car," Adam said slowly, enunciating each word. Tommy's resistance didn't even last a moment, his wolf was already submitting, making his traitorous hands open the door and traitorous legs step out into the grass. 

Adam got out of the car and walked around it, and Tommy could feel him coming like thunderclouds rolling in. He backed against the side of the car, keeping his head tucked down, staring at Adam's shoes as the future Alpha stood before him. He hated that he flinched when Adam's hand rested on the car beside his head. It hadn't been quick, it had been very controlled, and that was almost worse. 

"Look, Omega," Adam snapped. "I get that you're upset about the expectations that are on you, but for a moment, take your head out of your ass long enough to realize that the same expectations are on me. The moment you bled, I was betrothed, just like you. We may not be bound by contract, or even law, but that won't stop anything. People expect us to be together, whether we like it or not. And I, for one, think it might not be so bad if we're not at each other's throats. Because it seems like you're a pretty cool guy when your hackles aren't up. Which they shouldn't be, towards me,  _ever._ "

Tommy's shoulders slumped a little. He hadn't thought of it that way, hadn't considered that Adam was just as chained by this as he was. "But you're already gay," he pointed out. 

"Yeah, well, it doesn't make it any better if we still hate each other, does it?" Adam retorted, not giving an inch. 

Tommy huffed out a breath and grumbled an apology.

"I didn't hear you," Adam said, even thought Tommy knew Adam heard every word. But he'd been here long enough to know these werewolf games. Much of dominance wasn't fighting, it was stupid little games. Important, stupid little games that kept everyone safe, because if you could remind someone they were under you enough, you wouldn't have to tear their throat out in a fight. Shit like this kept everyone safe. Tommy hated shit like this. He hesitated, and felt Adam's power wash over him in a wave that sent him to his knees, unable to stop himself. 

He tried to get up, only for Adam to growl, " _stay down._ " And then, a moment later, in a gentler voice, "I didn't hear you." He wasn't going to let this go, but he also wasn't trying to be such an ass about it. And it wasn't that Tommy hated Adam. Tommy hated that he couldn't hate Adam. Things had been going well since the full moon a few days ago, until Adam had taken him on this date and Tommy had realized how trapped he was, and how much he might actually like it if he could let go of his pride. That was the scariest part.

"I'm sorry for being an ass," Tommy said, louder this time. "I'm sorry for disrespecting you, Adam." The words didn't even tremble. He even turned his head to the side to expose his neck. His wolf was whining inside, happily wagging it's tail. It was so weird that he could feel it now, even if it felt so natural. Still, that didn't mean he had to agree with it.

Adam pushed off the car and walked back to the driver's seat. "Get back in the car."

And Tommy got back in the car. They were silent for a while, before Tommy piped up, "Okay, to be fair, the tacos were actually really fucking good." Possibly not the most cordial peace offering in the world, but a peace offering none the less. Adam relaxed and rolled down the windows. 

As they neared the pack territory, the sun was just setting. Tommy had started to doze off when a sharp smell his his nose, making him sit up straight. He knew blood when he smelled it, but this blood didn't make him hungry, it made him scared. This was pack blood. Adam pulled over and was out of the car before Tommy could react. He wrenched open Tommy's door and pulled him out, his eyes gold with blue flecks again. 

"Tommy, I need you to listen to me and obey," Adam thundered, and Tommy's legs shook with the force of it. He'd never felt Adam like this, magic and power swirling around him so thick that Tommy could almost see it, taste it on his tongue. "I took you running the pack boundaries, and you should be able to smell them easily. I need you to run, find a dark place, and hide. Do not come out for anyone but me, my family, or Brad. Do not let anyone touch you. Go!" He pushed Tommy away, and Tommy found that he'd changed before he even hit the ground. Whether it was instinct, or Adam had pulled the wolf out of him, it didn't matter. He darted into the forest, heart pounding in his chest because he could only imagine what it meant for Adam to send him to hide with this much blood in the air. 

Tommy ran and ran, keeping to the pack territory. He found a thick bush and hid under it, until suddenly it didn't seem safe anymore. He couldn't explain it, but his wolf urged him on, screaming at him to run without words. He bolted, legs straining underneath him. Terror shook his body, and when his wolf surged up, he let it. He trusted it, and they might have had a really sweet moment if he wasn't been running for what he figured was his life. It felt good to let go, let the wolf take over. It found some really smelly mud and rolled in it, effectively covering up their scent, before tucking into a rotten log. Now all he had to do was wait.

* * *

Adam ran like Theos, the wolf from legend that chased down the moon. He heard the battle before he saw it, the sound of snarls and howls filling the air. He made it to the clearing and saw chaos, members of his pack fighting strange wolves he didn't know. Females were huddled around the young, keeping them safe, while the males battled the invaders. His pack was only about three dozen, including women and children, and all were here. He looked over the clearing, at the bloodshed, and knew instinctively that no wolf here was his equal. 

Adam pulled in a breath, reaching out with his wolf and pulling all the energy of the pack to him, swirling it around him and amplifying it, stoking it like a flame. The stretching of the change felt good, pulling his body into his wolfman form, over eight feet tall. He spread his arms wide and threw his head back in a roar that consumed out all other sounds. Immediately, members of his pack fell to the ground, crouching silently. The rival wolves even fell, unable to stand with his power drowning them. He stalked forward, looking everyone over, at the shivering bodies that were his and those that weren't. 

"What is going on here?" His voice was strange and guttural, coming from a mouth that wasn't built to speak. One wolf got up and moved towards him slowly, and when his golden eyes focused on it, he saw that it was Neil. His brother had a gash on his side, the white of bone peaking out as he moved. Not a mortal wound for a wolf, but very painful. Neil shuddered into his human form and took a knee, breathing hard against the pain.

"We were attacked, while you were gone. A sneak attack." He kept his eyes down, on the ground. He might have been less pale if Adam hadn't been pulling energy from them all, but he needed it, needed to keep the strange wolves on the ground.

"Where is father? Where is mother?" Adam growled. His father should have been able to stop this. None of the attackers were Alphas, not even close. 

Neil's face became drawn, telling Adam what he needed to know even before his words did. "They snuck into the house first. Guns, with silver bullets. They didn't even wake up before they were gone."

Adam felt a sharp pain in his chest, ripping through him. He grabbed the nearest intruder by the head and threw him like he weighed nothing. Neil didn't even flinch when the wolf connected with a tree, a loud crack indicating a break in his spine as he wrapped around it. And still, Adam didn't lose control, he couldn't. He'd been raised all his life to have nothing but the utmost control. His wolf screamed, wanting to tear apart the intruders and eat them, gulp them down like raw meat from a deer, but the kills were clean. He even interrogated the last one before he killed it. Not that he needed to; he knew what they'd come for. 

Standing, drenched in blood and trembling with power, Adam looked over the pack members as he crawled towards him. The pups, shivering in terror and instinct they didn't understand yet, licked at his feet and urinated, soaking the ground. The wolves crowded around him, whining and rolling to expose their bellies, showing submission to him. Neil bowed so that his head touched the ground, paying no attention to the blood and mud that covered it. "Alpha," he whispered. Adam had always been an Alpha, but more an Alpha-in-training. Now, he was all they had. 

* * *

Tommy didn't move. Every so often he heard footsteps, the unmistakable sound of a nose sniffing around, and he knew from what Adam had said before that whoever was out there was not pack. He curled tighter, tucking in behind his tail, and hid. Hid even when there was silence for so long, only the small sounds of the night forest filling the air. When he finally heard a wolf again, he held his breath. It trotted around for a bit, before the footsteps got closer and stopped. 

"Tommy." It wasn't Adam's voice, but it was the next best thing, Brad's. Tommy dared to look up, only to see Brad's face was blank and closed off. "Come on, you can come home now."

He uncurled and crawled out of the log, looking up at Brad who only looked away and shifted back to wolf form, leading Tommy through the forest. Tommy followed quickly, ignoring the dried mud that made his fur stiff and resistant. It was a long trip back to the Lambert estate, even moreso with the dread singing through Tommy's veins. Brad was always animated. Sometimes angry, but never solemn and quiet. He flicked his ears back every so often to make sure Tommy was keeping up, but that was it. 

Smoke rose from a pyre in the courtyard, surrounded by the members of the pack, young and old. Brad moved to take him place among them, leaving Tommy to slink through, peering into the flames. He felt his heart stutter when he saw who it was, Eber and Leila, looking so peaceful among the flames that ate them up. Adam stood at the head, still in wolfman form. At a human funeral, words might have been said. Prayers, or condolences. But watching the smoke rise up to curl around the moon in the sky, the wolves were silent. When the flames fell into embers and then ashes, the pack started to howl, joining in one by one, until everyone's song fill the sky. Tommy couldn't help but join in, head head tipping back to follow the smoke that carried his friends.

Adam's bell-like song rose above them all. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> But hey, at least I didn't kill Adam or Tommy, right?


	7. Fever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adam makes a hard decision.

"They all hate me." Tommy plopped down next to Brad, tugging his hood up over his head as if it was a shield to protect him from the looks he'd been getting throughout the past two weeks since Eber and Leila had been murdered. 

Brad looked up from his book. "They don't hate you, Tommy Joe." He looked over the pack, their solemn faces and quiet tones. "They're mourning."

"That pack attacked because of me," Tommy pointed out, hunching over. 

"That wasn't a pack that attacked," Brad clarified. "It was a ragtag group of wolves hoping that an Omega would give them power, but none among them was an Alpha."

"I don't understand," Tommy said. "I'm supposed to birth strong puppies. They wouldn't want to wait over a decade for strength."

"It's more than that," Brad replied, sitting back and closing his book. "You don't just make nice kids. You're like a power tap, anyone who sleeps with you will automatically become more powerful. With an Alpha, that boost is even greater, but it would work with any wolf. Whether or not they could handle that new power is up for question, but..."

Tommy's jaw dropped. "You mean on top of being some sort of magical broodmare, I'm now a magical battery?"

"That's one way of putting it."

Tommy sighed and ran his hand through his hair. He looked out over the pack, eyes falling on Adam who was sitting with Neil and a pair of laptops. Adam looked strong, his face set like stone, his posture strong. But Tommy could see through it, see the lines of wear by Adam's eyes, marring his young face. His mouth was tight, lips pressed together. He had dark circles under his eyes; he couldn't have been getting much sleep.

Tommy found himself walking over to Adam's table, standing beside his Alpha. Adam blinked and looked up, and Tommy could see him steeling himself, preparing to take care of another person. It made something in Tommy's heart ache, and he reached out, taking Adam's bicep in his grip. He lifted his head to look at Neil, saying plainly, "I'm taking Adam for the night." 

Neil raised his brows, but nodded, watching as Tommy pulled a protesting Adam away. He dragged him inside and up the stairs, towards Tommy's room. When they got inside, Tommy closed and locked the door, before turning around and pointing a finger at Adam, barking, "Get undressed."

Adam raised a brow at him, and reached down to pull his shirt off. Even in the simple move, Tommy could see the exhaustion in him. There just wasn't that normal fire, that thrumming hotwire power that Adam always carried with him. Tommy waited until Adam was naked, and then he had him sit on the bed, up against the headboard. The blonde took a deep breath and quickly shimmied out of his clothes, not giving himself time to think it through before he climbed onto the bed and settled between Adam's legs, resting back against his broad chest. 

"What are you doing?" Adam asked softly. "I have work I need to be completing." But he made no move to get up, and instead rested his arms around Tommy's middle.

"Well, when I was feeling bad, we cuddled skin to skin, and it made me feel better. You may be my creator, but I am your wolfy createe. So it should work both ways, right?" Tommy grabbed a book from the nightstand and shimmied back against Adam, getting comfortable. "So I am going to sit here, all pressed up against you, and read these stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul, and not pay any attention to any little crying you want to get out, because you haven't been doing any of that and it's not really healthy."

"I don't need to cry," Adam grumbled, his voice a low growl. "I need to be taking care of the pack." 

"The pack is here to support you as much as you are here to support us. So shut up. You don't even have to cry or grieve or anything, but the skin-to-skin should help. You're not going to be much use to the pack all broken. You need to heal."

Tommy flinched a bit when Adam nipped his shoulder, his teeth a bit sharper than normal. "I'll forgive you for telling me to shut up, because this does feel really good."

And so Tommy read the stories, laughing to himself at the funny parts, getting into it and even doing funny voices for the different characters. He didn't ask Adam to speak, only responded when he did. Mia always used to tell him that he needed to practice being a human  _being_ , not a human  _doing._ Not that any of them were human anymore, but the principle was still the same. Adam needed some time where nobody wanted anything from him, where there was no one to take care of. He wanted to give Adam a safe place, even if for only the moment. Tommy read story after story, slowly making his way through the book. He ignored the soft sniffling behind him, and the wetness that fell against his shoulders. 

* * *

Tommy woke up nestled against a firm chest, a bit of soft hair brushing his cheek. He grunted softly and moved away from the warmth, looking up to see Adam's sleeping face. His eyes were only a tad bit puffy, nothing a shower couldn't take care of. When Tommy fully untangled himself from Adam's long limbs, the Alpha woke and stretched. He looked down at Tommy, a fondness reaching his eyes. "You're still here."

"It's my room," Tommy said, the corners of his mouth dancing in a smile. "I should be saying that to you."

"Right. Right." Adam rolled onto his back and stretched his entire body, a few cracks in his back protesting. "Good Moon, I feel great. I slept better than I have since..." He sighed a bit and looked down at Tommy. "I needed that, Tommy Joe."

Tommy smiled and pushed up from the bed. He couldn't think of anything to say back. What do you say to a friend thanking you for letting them grieve? No, there was nothing to thank. He excused himself to the bathroom to take a shower; sleeping with Adam had left him sweaty. He'd just gotten the temperature to the right setting when the shower curtain moved, and Adam stepped in behind him. Tommy just stared at him, mouth agape. Snuggling naked and sleeping naked was one thing, but showering naked? This was suddenly awkward.

"Close your mouth, Tommy, you'll catch flies," Adam purred with a smirk, reaching past him to grab the shampoo. He rubbed his hair into a foamy lather as Tommy washed himself and tried not to look at him. He'd had a communal shower in middle school after gym class. This should be just like that.

This was nothing like that. 

Tommy jumped about a foot in the air when hands fell into his hair, working the shampoo into his fringe. The way Adam scratched his scalp with his fingernails was almost enough to make him melt into a puddle of submission. Almost. Instead, he turned around and glared up at Adam, eyes squinting. "Boundaries, Lambert." He meant to put more venom in his voice... but very little actually came out. His wolf was whining and twisting inside him with pleasure, begging him to just let Adam do it.

"You want me to stop?" Adam breathed out, eyes going dark. Water caught on his thick black lashes, sparking against them like so many stars in the night sky, and Tommy's breath caught him his throat.

"You're not playing fair," he choked out, taking a step towards Adam so that they were almost pressed together. 

"Screw 'fair'," Adam growled out, dipping his head. "Fair is for stupid little kid games. You're damn right if you think I'll use every dirty little trick I can to touch you." Tommy's breathing had time to hitch before Adam's lips were against his. It sent a bolt of heat down his spine and straight to his groin, wrenching a groan out of him. His lips parted instinctively, and Adam had no problem sinking into his mouth, his tongue thrusting inside in a blatant mimicry of sex. He tasted like spice and thunder, that heavy taste that sits on your tongue before a storm. Tommy could feel himself hardening from just the kiss, and Adam's hand sliding down his belly. That was enough to wake him up and make him jerk away, despite his own wolf's protests.

"Wait! Wait..." He held his hands out to Adam, as if he had any hope to keep him back if Adam decided to push. As if he could fight him off. As if he  _would._

But Adam stopped and stepped back, ignoring his own hard, pulsing member. His eyes were starving, but his expression said he understood. Whatever feelings were going to happen between them, they were going to take time. The two finished showering, turning on the cold water to calm themselves without more than a look of shared understanding.

When they got out of the shower and dressed, Tommy paused only to say, "Thanks for stopping."

Adam gave him a quiet nod, "Thanks for trying."

* * *

The mood was somber in the meeting room. Adam was there with his second, Neil, and the next five most dominant wolves. Four were male, and one was female. Leila had always been included in the previous meetings, and had pushed for more female voices, but werewolves were unfortunately still very male-dominated. It had more to do with the males being better fighters than anything. When physical prowess and magical potential determined rank, the first often brought males to the top. Brad was the last there, included only because of his position as healer. 

"What are the movements happening around us?" Adam asked, sitting down at the head of the table. 

"The Santigua Pack to the north has a few wolves heading in our direction, as does the Pauli Pack. No more than five for either of them." Neil handed over the reports from the watchers in the surrounding states. Wolves kept communication with the bird shifters and used them as informants. Paying them was often a substantial expense, but it was worth it to keep an eye on surrounding packs. Now that word was out that they had an Omega, and the role of Alpha had moved from an extremely experienced male to a new, young one, there had been a lot of surrounding stir. 

Adam shook his head. "We can take five or fewer, there's no real danger there."

"But the Moro Pack," Derek, Adam's third, cut in. "Has moved half their pack towards us." Adam's head jerked up and he held his hand out for the paper, looking it over as Derek continued. 

"It's a slow movement, but the numbers are substantial. The Moro Pack is large, and even half their pack will outnumber us. Not to mention that every member moving towards us is a dominant, fighting male. If we're counting only members of our pack who can fight, they outnumber us three to one. You can't hold them off, not with your current Alpha power, and we don't have the numbers to fight them off."

"They wouldn't send this many wolves just to put us in a position to give up our Omega," Adam said, grinding his teeth as he glared down at the paper. "That's too bold a move." He lifted his head to look over at his brother. "The Moro Alpha intends to take over our whole pack." Neil nodded in grim agreement. 

"That involves killing you," Neil added. "And probably everyone in this room except Brad, because he's subordinate. I don't know what we're going to do. We can't fight them off."

"Not like we are now, no," Derek said slowly, and with meaning. The brothers looked at him, and he said. "The Moro Alpha is unmated; that pack has no Omega, that's why they want ours. They have numbers, yes, but their Alpha isn't unbeatable, and that's where it counts. Adam, you can't beat him as he is, but if you mate with our Omega, that power boost would be enough to fend him off. You'd be more dominant, you'd have more control over his army than he would."

"Tommy's not ready to be mated," Adam pointed out, leaning back in his chair. 

"Screw what Tommy's ready for," Derek snarled. "This is about the entire pack. This is about everyone in this room losing their lives, and our pack losing it's Alpha." He stabbed a meaty finger at the paper. "They're coming, but it's slow. It's hard to move that many people at one time. We have a week, maybe. The full moon is in three days. I'm not saying you have to tie Tommy down and rape him, because I know you too well for that, but if he goes into heat..." He took a deep breath. "Don't turn him away. Don't fight it. Take what he's offering."

"That's still rape!" Brad snapped, standing up so fast his chair screeched the floor. "It's the same as fucking a drunk person. He wouldn't be in his right mind!"

"He's an Omega!" Derek retorted, catching Brad's eyes and staring him down. "This is what he's born for, and I don't think we should put the needs of some wolf that's been here for a couple months over the needs of every family that's raising pups here, every wolf that's been here since birth. This isn't about being nice, this is about the fact that people are going to die, and this is the only damn chance we have! The only surrounding packs that  _might_ have been able to help are the same damn ones sending small parties to 'investigate'." He pulled his lips back from sharp teeth when Brad didn't lower his gaze. 

Adam could see Derek tensing to pounce, and snapped, "Brad!" The small wolf flinched and looked down. Adam loved Brad, in some way always would, but he wasn't going to stand there and let Brad deserve an ass kicking for disrespecting a more dominant wolf. Some things in a wolf pack just had to be a certain way. Brad stormed out of the room, angry, but at least he wasn't on the ground getting reminded of his place. Adam technically had the power to intercede in a dominance battle, but he if started doing that, it was a slippery slope to wolfy anarchy. He'd be accused of picking favorites, and part of that might actually be true. Laws were laws for a reason, even if inconvenient. 

Derek snorted and looked over at Adam. "You have to put the pack first Adam. You're Alpha."

* * *

Adam had the pack run within a tighter perimeter that full moon. The threats from the Santigua Pack and the Pauli Pack hadn't amounted to much. Adam had been able to send them scrambling. But within a few days, the Moro Pack could arrive, and that was a very real threat. Adam wasn't taking any chances. As the pack ran, Adam watched them. There were mates, like Isaac and Sophie, twisting around each other as they ran in the dance of love. There were families, with pups just now old enough to run with the pack. Pups that Adam had seen come into this world. There were old wolves, who had been in this pack all their lives, all the way back to the time when Adam's grandfather was Alpha. Wolves that wouldn't take well to foreign Alpha, and who might die trying to take back the pack. The Moro Pack was well-known for their strength, and the Alpha's brutality. The Moro Alpha, Rife, was all about power. Any unmated females of breeding age would be forced to mate immediately and produce offspring. And the mates of the most dominant males who would no doubt be killed would be forced to find new mates and have pups.The tactic wasn't illegal, just dirty. Adam's eyes fell on Sophie and Isaac again. he knew they planned for kids, but being forced to have them was a totally different animal. 

This was his pack. These were his wolves. And they were in danger. 

But the run still went well, and in the wee hours of the morning, everyone was heading back to their houses. He stood at the top of the hill, looking over everyone, only to have his eyes fall on Tommy. The small wolf was whining, trotting in circles. He brushed up against a tree, putting his whole body into it, as if trying to scratch an itch that consumed his whole being, and everything in Adam's being was instantly awake. He put his head down, nostrils flaring as he scented the air, catching Tommy's heady perfume. Both unfortunate and a stroke of luck, all wrapped in one. 

Adam heard a growl next to him, and he glanced over to see Brad staring at the dirt at Adam's feet, lips parted in a snarl. He didn't dare challenge Adam, but the Alpha would have been more surprised if Brad  _hadn't_ voiced his opinion. Brad snapped his teeth, a growl coming out that ended in a whine. He took a step forward, only to go tumbling when Derek slammed into him. The large grey wolf stood over him, jaw held threateningly over Brad's tender belly. The subordinate wolf hesitated only a moment before rolling fully onto his back and wagging his tail in reluctant submission. Some dominant wolves tolerated Brad well, but Derek was one of the group that wouldn't hesitate to give him a reason to use his medical expertise. On himself. Derek closed his mouth sharply over Brad's snout in punishment before chasing him off. Leaving Adam to look back to Tommy, who instinctively headed to the Lambert estate. 

It was far too easy for Adam to go to where Tommy had been rolling around and rub his own fur in the scent before behind. It was even easier to trot into the house behind Tommy and follow that scent upstairs. It didn't lead towards Tommy's room, but Adam's, and that made something low in Adam's stomach tighten, to know that Tommy had gone to the Alpha's den, not his own. Adam knew that when heat hit, it was hard and fast, but he'd never seen it before. So when he rounded the corner to see Tommy, naked as the day he was born, ass up in his bed, the rush of need in his body nearly sent him to his knees. 

Tommy was on all fours, rubbing his cheek against Adam's pillow, wallowing in the scent. His back was arched, ass questing up like a cat in heat, and Adam let out an audible groan. He rushed forward and climbed up on the bed behind Tommy, running his hands over that tiny ass. Wetness dripped from it, down his thighs, and Adam wanted to throw his head back in a howl. The need was like nothing he'd ever felt, a hunger inside him brought on by Tommy's entire essence, calling him forward to claim. Tommy looked back at him and whimpered. His eyes were gold, all wolf, no ounce of human left, despite the human form. His hair fell over them, casting them into shadow, and Adam knew his own eyes were just as gold. His wolf was panting inside him, ready to take and claim. 

Every time he touched Tommy, the boy writhed. He ran his lips over Tommy's skin, feeling the flame of the heat beneath it. He ran his hands down Tommy's sides, and he could feel the power, just waiting to be taken. Tommy was ripe for the picking, a delicious, juicy peach laid out before him. When he kissed Tommy, the Omega bit his lips and made them bleed in his eagerness. Tommy's claws dug into his skin, not pushing away but pulling him closer. He marked Adam up, leaving bruises all over Adam, and the last of Adam's control disintegrated.

Brad had always been so willing, but Adam had never had anyone who opened up like Tommy did. His tight bud bloomed beautifully for Adam, letting him all the way in on the first stroke. When Adam thrusted, Tommy moved with him, like they were no longer two beings, but one. It was heavenly and devastating, the way they fell apart and came back together in the light of the rising sun. Their howls filled the air, Tommy's in sharp relief and Adam's ringing with the rush of power that flowed through his veins and laced into his DNA. He sank his teeth into the back of Tommy's neck, marking him, scarring him. 

Adam had never heard two wolves sing as well as they did in the stark hours of that morning. 

 


	8. Sleepwalker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wakes up and realizes what happened the night before.

Awareness hit Tommy like a freight train.   
  
He jerked up in bed, sucking in breath like a drowning man. He looked around, seeing he was in Adam's room, and when a murmur caught his attention, turned to see Adam sleeping next to him. By some stroke of grace, Tommy's waking hadn't stirred Adam. But the blonde knew that any sudden movement might. He swallowed, mouth dry, and looked around. Why were they sleeping in Adam's room? What had happened last night. Tommy shifted, looking around for any clue of the night. But the clue came from his own body, a sharp ache shooting up his spine from his rear, and his eyes shot wide. He lifted up the covers, breath coming in little gasps as he saw nothing but their skin. 

He managed to get out of the bed without waking Adam, and found Adam's robe to throw on. He only stumbled once, when his feet first his the floor and that ache came back. He couldn't stay here, not with the flames of panic slowly rising under his skin, and... and  _Adam_ sleeping so soundly in bed. He couldn't go to Brad's. The healer might have been on his side, but he also worked out of his house, and any wolf with a problem might show up. 

That left Isaac and Sophie's place. It was one of the perks of pack living that most of the houses were only a short run apart. It only took a few bangs on the door for Isaac to open it, looking sleepy and flustered. Tommy couldn't help but hurry inside without invitation, because being outside meant that wolves might come around and wolves might  _see_ him and Tommy suddenly had to clutch the wall against the encroaching darkness. He was  _not_  going to pass out from hyperventilation, dammit. He hadn't thought wolves could even _do_ that.

"Tommy?" Isaac said, fully awake now. Sophie was coming down the stairs behind him, looking concerned. 

"Can I use your shower?" The words came out breathlessly, but at least they didn't waver. Tommy couldn't pull his gaze off the floor, where Sophie's little toes dug into the plush rug. 

"O-of course," Isaac responded, blinking quickly in confusion and just a hint of anxiety. 

Sophie was the first to get it. She hurried over to Tommy and ushered him up the stairs, towards the master bedroom. "You can use some of Isaac's clothes when you come out, any ones you want. Since you two are about the same size, and all."

She showed him in and got him a towel before gracefully stepping out. For that, Tommy was glad. It meant he didn't have to undress in front of her. It meant he could look at himself in the mirror alone. He took a deep, shaking breath before pulling off Adam's robe and dropping it on the floor. He didn't have any bruises, no cuts, and for a moment he hated himself for thinking Adam would do something like that. Then, he remembered that he didn't want to think about Adam at all, and hurried to turn on the shower. 

He couldn't remember the night before. Not most of it, anyway. He remembered the running with the pack, how Adam had made them stay away from the borders. He remembered playing with Brad, chasing his tail until the other wolf gave up and just plopped down. It was right when the sun started coming up that things got hazy. He had the vague memory of heading towards the Lambert Estate, seeking something. He sucked in a shatter-glass breath and focused on washing himself off, not wanting to even try and remember what happened after that. 

There was no blood when he washed between his legs. He was sore, reasonably so, but Adam hadn't hurt him. He had no bruises, no cuts, except for the deep bite on the back of his neck that he'd discovered when the shampoo had hit it and set his flesh on fire. There was blood from that, dried and dark, so he left it alone. The rest of him, he scrubbed until he was red and raw, until the water ran polar ice cap cold. 

* * *

Adam woke slowly, rolling onto his stomach to quell the nervous thrumming inside of it. He could feel power thrumming in him, in his bones. He'd always had some, as an Alpha pup, but this was different. It was like a storm under his skin, lightning and thunder rolling through his veins. And in that moment, he knew, Tommy had given him the power to protect the pack.

Good moon,  _Tommy._

He turned and looked to his side, only to see the bed was empty. That wasn't  _completely_ surprising, he'd probably have done the same thing in Tommy's position, but now he had to find him. A quick search of the house proved fruitless, but Adam knew Tommy wouldn't leave the pack grounds. His wolf wouldn't let him. So now it was just figuring out who he'd gone to. 

He visited Brad first, knowing he and Tommy were close, but not quite ready for the tone Brad was giving him.

"So you lost him." Brad had never used this voice with Adam before. Short, and clipped. He was staring hard at Adam's jaw, because staring him in the eyes was a challenge but he was too angry to look away. Still, it made Adam's jaw ache as if it were a punch, not just a gaze.

"I didn't lose him. He's not missing," Adam said quietly. "He's around here somewhere, I can sense him. I just don't know exactly where."

"I'd hide too if some asshat fucked me while I was drunk," Brad muttered, and a stillness took over Adam. His wolf shifted inside him, coming to the surface, and he felt his eyes go. He knew the orbs staring down at Brad were yellow, just as well as he knew that Brad felt the change in the air.

"Careful, Bradley," Adam said softly, putting his hand on the doorframe and leaning in over the smaller wolf. He understood that Brad was upset, but wolf life was a series of cues, a constant play between wolves, submitting or challenging. It looked harsh to some, but it was the way they lived, the way things had been for thousands of years. Some packs had tried being more democratic, but it always failed miserably. As much as they were people, they were wolves, and their instincts wanted power in control. Adam was that power, and all he could do was use it wisely. And sometimes, that meant reminding wolves where they stood before things got out of hand. 

Brad was his friend, had even been his lover once, but Adam couldn't allow disrespect. Not for the pack's sake, and not for Brad's sake. If Adam didn't put him in his place, someone would, and it would be a hellova lot less pretty.

Brad sucked in a breath and swelled like a balloon, before deflating and hanging his head. Adam made a rough noise and leaned in, pressing his face into Brad's hair. This was also the power of the submissive wolf, to entice protection and possession. As much power as Adam had over the pack, they had over him. 

"I'm sorry," Brad muttered, only a little bit of hesitation in his voice. Adam could live with a bit of hesitation. 

"I didn't want to do it either," Adam whispered. 

"But you did," Brad pressed. "You did do it... and you did want it... your wolf wanted it. And I know how much you like Tommy."

And it was true, in some ways. Adam hadn't forced himself to take Tommy. His wolf had wanted it from the moment he sank his teeth into Tommy's flesh two months ago, and even moreso when he had gotten a whiff of Tommy's intoxicating scent. And he wanted Tommy as a man. He loved Tommy's tenacity, his shy smiles and sneaky smiles and little grins when he was getting away with something. 

But knowing Tommy was in pain was not what he wanted.

"I didn't want to hurt him," Adam whispered, allowing himself just a moment of vulnerability with Brad, one of the few wolves he would allow that with. 

"I know." Brad stood on his toes, kissing Adam on the cheek. It made something in Adam's chest loosen that he hadn't known was tight and knotted. "We'll find Tommy, and we'll take care of him. He has a pack, Adam. We don't abandon our own."

The next place to check was Isaac's house. The moment the small male opened the door, Adam knew Tommy was there. He could smell him like a delicious meal to a starving man. He took a step forward, only to have Isaac move with him, getting in his way. The brunette's eyes shot wide the moment he'd realized what he'd done, and now Adam smelled fear. 

"Easy," Adam said, taking a step back, but not looking down. "It's alright, Isaac." Isaac and Brad were two of the most submissive males in the pack, but they were completely different. Adam didn't know what happened to Isaac when he was a kid, but he suspected some Alpha had ripped him up one side and down the other at some point. That was not going to happen again, not at Adam's hand. "You take care of him for me this morning, okay? I'll come back later."

Isaac visibly relaxed, a shudder going through him. He nodded. "He can stay with us as long as he likes. He's always welcome here."

Adam smiled and turned to leave. He wanted to see Tommy, but letting the Omega have his space right now might be a better idea. And he knew Isaac and Sophie would take care of him. Isaac bid him farewell and closed the door. Adam took a deep breath before heading off. Tommy  _would_ be safe there, and he had other things to attend to.

* * *

As much as the pack was family, it was business. And Adam couldn't have waited a moment longer to mate with Tommy. He met Rife right on the border, his gaze sliding over the members of the Moro Pack at Rife's back. He took care to saunter up, letting the relaxing swing melt through his hips. Adam was all for power games when they prevented violence. If Adam threw his newfound dominance around enough, the Moro Pack might leave without even trying. 

He cocked his hips, tilting his head back. Only Neil was at his back. There were other wolves not too far away, but this needed to look like Adam didn't consider Rife a threat at all. "Rife! It's a pleasure to see you. It's been so long." Anyone with a brain could see that his mockery of a smile was more a baring of teeth than anything. 

"Adam... you look well..." The older Alpha's gaze slid over Adam, and his lifted his head to sniff the air. As if he had to confirm the power he felt rolling over the border like a landslide. "I didn't know you were mated. An Omega?"

"I'll forgive you for not sending a wedding gift," Adam tossed back. "Yeah, I just couldn't wait to get him under me. Soon, he'll be swollen with my seed. And the benefits of mating with an Omega..." Adam rolled his shoulders and let the sentence slide off. Of course, he thought far more of Tommy than that, but he couldn't let it show. He couldn't waver.

"Oh yes, I've heard all about them. Are they really all they're cracked up to be?" Rife asked, sending Adam a challenging look. 

"Hmm, well, I haven't really gotten the chance to flex my muscles yet." Adam reached inside himself and stoked that fire, cradling it in his hands, feeling the beat before letting it pulse out. He wished a silent apology at Neil, who he heard whimper and slump at his side. But he watched Rife's wolves hunch under the power. He watched them curl in on themselves and start falling to their knees, head bowed. Normally, an Alpha couldn't control the wolves from another pack, not with their own Alpha present. But if the difference in dominance was great enough, pack ties didn't matter. 

Rife turned and looked at his wolves, a hint of panic sparking in his eyes. Adam could see the sweat on his brow, and knew he was fighting kneeling too. He swallowed with difficulty, a moment Adam relished, before saying. "Yes, I can see they are quite impressive." He spoke like he had a boiled egg in his throat, blocking any air. Adam jerked his chin up and let the wolves go, watching them shuffle towards Rife. Some of them even crawled. No, there was no way these wolves could stand against Adam's pack now, even if they had the numbers. They couldn't stand against  _Adam._

"So, what brings you to this part of town?" Adam asked, raising his brow. "I wasn't informed you were visiting."

"Just swinging by," Rife said tightly. "We'll be on our way, of course. Sorry for the oversight in not contacting you." He wasn't making eye contact anymore, not for even a moment. 

"See that it doesn't happen again," Adam said lowly. He stayed there, watching Rife scurry off with his wolves like a disciplined child. It was almost anticlimactic, that what could have been a war filled with bloodshed had boiled down to a few minutes of grandstanding. But everyone was safe. No one had been hurt. That was the important part.

"Are you alright?" Adam murmured, turning to kneel before his brother, who hadn't gotten up. Being closer to him, Neil had felt the effects of his power the most. 

"I'm fine," Neil said, a little short of breath. " _Shit_ , Adam."

Adam huffed out a breath and offered Neil a hand. As they walked home, the wolves that had been hiding in the forest joined them. They all brushed by Adam as they did, licking at his jaw and offering their necks. They'd obviously felt it too, what he'd done. He greeted them happily, all of them, even when they got back to the main grounds and the whole pack was there to greet him. This was who he'd done it for, these children that ran into his arms, these young females that came to kiss his cheek, and everyone else. It made the knowledge that he'd took advantage of Tommy almost bearable. 

Almost.

Tommy, who stood off to the side and very determinedly  _didn't_ look at him. Adam felt a sharp pain jerk through his chest, and Neil put a hand on his shoulder. "I'll... I'll go talk to Tommy. Okay?" Adam glanced at his brother and smiled sadly, nodding his head.

Neil followed Tommy to the other side of the estate, where the Omega was sitting. He moved to get up when he saw Neil, but the Beta held a hand up, both placating and quietly commanding. 

"What do you want?" Tommy asked softly, staring at the ground at Neil's feet. Neil had never seen the boy so submissive. Usually, Tommy had a few sharp words for Neil, and a quick grin. His wolf must have been riding him hard for him to be acting like this. 

"I just want to talk," Neil said, sitting down next to Tommy but being careful not to touch him. 

"Did Adam send you?" Tommy muttered, pulling his knees up to his chest.

"I sent myself," Neil retorted. "You deserve to know what's going on." So he told Tommy, all about Rife and the Moro Pack, about the other packs that had been making threatening moves, about the power that Adam had gotten by mating with him. He told him about the way Rife ran a pack, and about the meetings they'd been having. Tommy listened quietly, not saying a word. 

"So... that's what happened," Neil finished, running a hand through his curly hair. "We'd been keeping everything a secret from the pack. After..." He took a breath. "After Mom and Dad passed away, we wanted everyone to feel safe. They were beloved, and the last thing people needed was to know we could be taken over."

"How am I supposed to take that?" Tommy whispered after a moment. "Am I supposed to just lay down and give up because it's what's best for the pack?" He looked up at Neil, and there wasn't anger or hate in his eyes, but confusion and pain. 

"No," Neil said softly. "No one should tell you how to feel. But you had to know everything."

Tommy nodded and hugged his knees close. He didn't say anything after that. Neil stayed with him though, until the sun fell and even the light left them. 

 

 


End file.
